Dirt and Roses
by PickurePoison01
Summary: Dirt, motorcycles, & endless highways. That's all Daryl knows as he goes about his life, living & trying to make an honest buck with big brother Merle. But when he meets Harli, a friends daughter he never even knew existed, his life turns down a path he didn't even know he could take. Based off my character from Feeding the Wolves and as if the apocalypse never happened. Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

The bright sun shined through a deceptive crack in a set of smoke stained curtains. Morning came fast than anyone wanted, signaling it was another day of work. The squeaky coils of a mattress disturbed the silence of a small bedroom, making the man who lied in it groan with displeasure. He hated the bed and cursed to himself mentally, threatening to light the noisy mattress on fire. Not to mention the annoying sunlight poking him pupil's under his eyelid.

Like a schoolboy, he tossed his sheet over his face and rolled over towards the bedroom door, tightening his eyes in hopes he would fall back asleep.

"Ey boy! You better get your ass up before I come in there and beat you with a tire iron!" The bed ridden redneck ignored his big brother's threats and only buried his head under a pillow rebelliously. He heard a few heavy boot steps trudging towards his bedroom, growling as he heard the door slam open.

"God damn it Daryl! Get your ass up this ain't no Motel Six!"

"Fuck off Merle!" Merle heard Daryl growl under the pillow. Merle was already prepared for his little brother's disgruntled stubbornness. Merle gripped the edge of a bucket tightly and tossed it forward, unleashing a furious gallon of cold water. It slammed onto both Daryl and his bed; Daryl tossing off his sheets and lashing at Merle,

"What the hell!?" Daryl shouted with a release of a fist, Merle catching his arm and yanking him towards him, laughing with a heavy grin at his little brothers soaked appearance.

"Do I make you _wet_, little brother!?" He laughed again and shoved Daryl backwards, waiting for another fist to fly his way. But Daryl restrained himself and only glared at him with his blue eyes,

"Ya'll just give me a sec I would've been up in a few minutes! You didn't have to dump a whole lake on me!" Daryl bit at him, clearly angered by the rude wake up call. Merle snorted with a chuckle,

"Oh come now little brother! We both know ya'll would've stuffed your face under that pillow and stayed there all day. Now get dressed, we got work to do, dammit!" Merle ordered and walked out of his bedroom, Daryl following him and slamming the door shut. He huffed and looked back at his soaked bed, wiping the back of his hand over his wet face. He grunted and rubbed his head, a headache suddenly eating at his brain. Clenching his eyes shut, he moved towards his dresser on instinct and pulled open a drawer, rummaging around and grabbing a clean flannel shirt complete with a white wife beater.

A hangover was slowly claiming him from a long night at the local bar. Usually four times a week, he, Merle, and the rest of the crew would hit up the bar, and maybe even some women. Daryl usually had to be drunk enough to do that though; he already had a hard time talking to girls while sober. A little liquid courage always helped.

But Merle, he was the lucky one last night; bringing home the young, platinum blonde bartender once _again_.

Buttoning up his flannel shirt, he shifted out of his dirty pants he had slept in and managed to find a pair hanging off his dresser. Not knowing whether or not they were dirty or clean, he noticed there were no stains, so they were automatically fit for travel.

Scuttling his fingers through his ragged brown hair, he slipped his feet in his boots and tied them loosely. He gathered the wet sheets on his bed and kicked open the back door to his and Merle's cabin, trudging across the green grass of the backyard towards the old fence. He hung them all side-by-side to dry in the hot Georgian sun that already bore down on Daryl's skin.

He ran his thumb across his bottom lip and turned towards Merle's large shop, seeing the two garage doors wide open. Finding the relief of the shops shade, Daryl saw Merle's motorcycle propped up on the bike lift. Merle rolled the back tire towards Daryl and he caught it swiftly, rolling it against the shop wall.

"Bout damn you got finished puttin' you're makeup on son! Had me waitin' out here all friggen day!"

"Just shut the hell up Merle! I ain't in the mood for your shit today!" Daryl called and Merle laughed to himself, glancing over his shoulder,

"Oh boy, watch out Mitch! Looks like its Darleena's time of the month again!"

"Do I need to go get you some maxi pads Daryl? Maybe some pamprin to make ya'll feel better?" Daryl glared at Merle's good friend, Mitchel, as he walked out from behind a truck and wiped his hands of grease. He had a toothy grin spread across his face, a few spots missing from teeth that had rotted out form his gums. He always took part in Merle's sarcastic jokes, making Daryl's day hectic as they were constantly riding his ass.

"I swear I'll knock whatever teeth you have left back down your throat Mitch!" Daryl warned and the two older men laughed with each other. Merle flicked his head towards an old Chevy pickup that Daryl had been working on all week,

"Get to changin' out that radiator and finishin' up the truck. Roy called and said he'll be by later to pick it up and if you don't get it done, you ain't gettin' paid."

"What the hell? I told him I'd be done with it by this weekend."

"Says he's got some gator huntin' trip he's takin' with his buddy down in Louisiana. Ain't just gonna take to walkin' his happy ass down there." Daryl grunted and walked towards the back of the shop, Merle following him. Mitch tossed him the dirty rag and Merle began to wipe his hands,

"Bobby Joe says he can't make it in today, so looks like you're flyin' solo, brother."

"Course he ain't. I don't know why you hired the lazy son bitch anyways, always showin' up late and hungover all the time. I'd be better off workin' on the damn vehicles by myself." He looked over at Merle, "He's always messin' up shit that I either gotta fix or pay for outta my own pocket."

"You gonna keep bitchin' all day? You're not the only one hatin' life with a hangover." Merle said and Daryl rolled his eyes, grabbing a few ratchets, screwdrivers, and socket wrenches from the large tool box. Yanking up the hood on the large Chevy in the second stall of the three-stall shop, he propped it up with the hood rod. He saw the hole in the radiator in which it blew and quickly grabbed an oil pan, crawling under the truck and placing it under the engine. Reaching up, he twisted the cap to the radiator fluid and moved his head quickly as the green liquid began to drain into the pan.

Standing back to his feet, he wiped his forehead of the sweat already forming out of the hot morning. The sun was already high in the sky and Daryl forgot to check the time before he left the old cabin. Meaning he had to have slept in longer than he intended.

As the radiator fluid drained, Daryl easily swapped out the spark plugs, cap, and rotor to ensure a clean tune-up on the old truck. Grabbing a socket wrench, he checked the fluid and saw that it was no longer draining and took to the old rusted radiator. Back and forth the socket wrench clicked until the bolt came out, Daryl moving onto the other bolts and finally yanking out the old radiator. He walked out into the blazing sunlight of the Georgian summer day, tossing the radiator into Merle's old junk truck to be taken to a junkyard later on.

As Daryl walked back into the shop, he heard Merle's old Lynard Skynard CD begin to play on the crappy stereo in the shop. Merle and Mitch were exchanging some words as Merle was tearing off the brake pads on his motorcycle. Daryl grabbed a box with the truck's new radiator and began to install it, listening to the scratchy music playing overhead.

He lost himself in the southern rock music and the hard work of the vehicles mechanics. Hours rolled by as he moved from the radiator to the engine, stripping off parts to make sure they didn't need to be replaced. The hot air the best of him and he couldn't resist stripping off his shirt and tossing it on a wooden chair. His muscles contorted under his tan skin as he moved them about, yanking at engine parts and getting oil all over himself in the process.

He stretched his thick shoulders and stepped back from the truck, looking over to see Merle hovering over a small ice chest. His big brother leaned up and tossed him a beer, Daryl catching the cold bottle flawlessly. His fingers twisted off the cap and the cold alcohol seeped onto his tongue with much needed liberation.

"Why's it gotta be so damn hot?" Daryl asked before taking another swig and running a hand through his sweat dampened hair. Merle took a few chugs of his beer, downing half of it in only a few large drinks.

"Supposed to be hittin' hundred degrees today." Merle stated and looked back at Daryl,

"That truck done?"

"Sure the hell is. Roy better not try to screw me outta my money again this time or he'll be earnin' himself a swift boot up the ass."

"I need ya to run to town for me." Daryl glanced over at Merle curiously, wondering what his brother wanted.

"Why can't you?"

"I'm helpin' Mitch swap out an engine in the Scrappy's old roadster for the car show this weekend. We gotta get that done so I'm gonna need you to go grab me some brake pads for my hog."

"Could've done that rather than dickin' round with your bike earlier." Daryl grunted and tossed his beer bottle in the overloaded trash can, grabbing his sleeveless shirt off the chair and tossing it over himself. He grabbed the keys to his baby blue for pickup and walked towards in in the long driveway stretching to the road,

"Make sure you order CC's from Waldgrave's shop or you'll be experiencin' the wrath of God!"

"Yeah, whatever!" Daryl's raspy voice called back and he tore open the driver's side door of his truck, stepping in and pressing down on the clutch to start the old engine.

**.:=:.**

Daryl walked through the doors of the Russell Waldgrave's old auto shop, his blue eyes glazing over the picture cluttered walls of motorcycles and classic cars. The jingle of the bell just over the door faded as he looked around the counter, not seeing anyone occupying the swivel chair sitting lonely on the other side. He had been to this shop many times, but never has he seen it empty and without its workers. Daryl checked over his shoulder quickly, seeing the **OPEN** sign still on in the window.

"Any of ya'll in here?" His scruffy voice echoed in the office space loudly, hearing no voice calling back in their protest. He stared past the office and narrowed his eyes once hearing a loud clank through the doors that lead into the shop. Slowly, Daryl's boots made way towards the closed door, "Russell, that you!?" He asked loudly again, shoving his rough hand against the swinging doors and hearing a small shriek. Daryl flinched at the sound and surprise riddled through his bones, watching as a woman dropped a ratchet set on the floor. All the different ratchets slid across the floor in all kinds of different directions, but Daryl ignored the possible distractions as his attention was now focused on the woman that stood in front of him.

"Jesus, you scared me!" Daryl didn't realize that his lips were parted in slight awe as his staring was longer than he intended.

A pair of bright green, apple colored eyes stared back at him; fear slowly veiling themselves from her fight-or-flight response. He watched as her small hand shuffled through her chocolate brown, wavy hair and then slapped down against her thigh. Her full, rosy lips parted into words that he failed to comprehend, his eyes now taking in her full figure. She wore a small black tank top that sucked against her sun kissed skin, exposing a couple inches of her tight lower belly in which her hip bones glared out at him. But it was her legs; those long legs extended out of some rugged jean shorts into a pair of old, light brown cowboy boots that ended just below her knees.

_Damn._

"I said what are you here for?" Daryl's eyes moved back to her face as her words finally reached his ears, and being knocked from his thoughts, he finally muscled out words that rolled off his tongue awkwardly.

"Parts." He watched her eyebrow raise and her hands grip onto her curved hips, staring at him as her green eyes narrowed. Daryl straightened his posture and tugged involuntarily at his sleeveless shirt, "I came to order some brake pads. Where's Russ?" He looked around the shop to avoid her bright gaze, seeing a couple trucks taken apart and a large motorcycle sitting quietly behind the woman. His blue eyes came back to her when he heard her soft voice,

"Oh, my dad left with the guys to go out for lunch. I'm holding down the fort until he gets back."

"_Dad_?" That word struck him hard and the confusion in his eyes made her smile. He had never seen this woman before, not even in the past couple years that the auto-shop had been there. Daryl heard the heel of her boot clad against the floor as she stepped back, crouching down and picking up the stray ratchets about the concrete floor.

"Yeah. My dad's the owner… doesn't surprise me much he hasn't mentioned me to his buddies. Even all the mechanics were surprised I suddenly showed up." She stood back up with the ratchet box in her hand, setting it on a dirty and clattered table while returning her attention to him. "Not much of a talker, are you?" The woman mused with another smile, stepping towards him and stopping a few feet away. Daryl shook his head and spun his finger around his ear,

"Nah just… tryin' to wrap my mind round all this." She shoved her hands into her back pockets and studied his features briefly, leaning back and balancing on the heels of her boots. Tilting her head, she stared into his blue eyes curiously,

"What's your name?"

"Daryl. Daryl Dixon." She extended her hand towards him with tenderness and welcoming. With slight hesitation, he took her hand in his, feeling her hand tighten in his grasp. It didn't tighten with friendliness this time, but that of insecurity and uncertainty.

"Harli Waldgrave." Her voice wavered in Daryl's ears and once their hands split from each other, her demeanor changed back in the sliver of a second. Harli rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "Dixon? You have a brother?"

"Yeah, my big brother Merle."

"Merle…? Oh yes, my dad talks about him a lot. You Dixon's hang around here a lot, he says." She nodded and walked past Daryl, his eyes following her as she walked through the doors he had entered through.

"Come on in, I'll get those parts for you." She called and he wheeled around on his boot, following after her through the swinging door. The bright light of her computer screen only brightened her green eyes, Daryl staring at her, completely unsure of himself. He chewed on his thumbnail and waited for her to speak the next words, finally seeing her eyes meet his.

"What kind of parts are you here for?"

"I need brake pads for my brother's motorcycle. CC's… and better make sure they're CC's or you best pray he don't come down here and light this here shop on fire." Harli's eyes flickered in amusement at the bad-boy front that Daryl was putting on. She glanced back down at her computer screen, her finger slapping down on the mouse as she clicked away on an order form. She stood up straight and rested her hand on her hip, her other hand twirling its fingers in her hair.

"Tell me… do you, well, your brother… does he find that the CC's wear out faster on his front end than the back end?" Daryl's eyebrows knitted at her words and he itched the scruffy facial hair on his chin,

"I think he's mentioned it once or twice. How do you know that?" She smirked and leaned forward, Daryl quickly catching his eyes from looking at the cleavage that decided to peek out from under her tank top. Her hair fell from off her shoulders and managed to mask her tan chest before he could steal a look.

"If he would put GG's on the front and leave the CC's on the back they'll last a lot longer. Just some friendly advice." She raised her eyebrows and he stared at her for a moment, his eyes deep in thought. She stood back up and tilted her head, shrugging a shoulder, "But I ordered you the CC's so Merle doesn't come burn down my dad's shop." Harli laughed and Daryl heard one click of her mouse, looking at her while involuntarily chewing on his thumbnail nervously. "They should be in tomorrow." She handed him a written receipt and he took it in his hand, standing to his feet and staring at the paper. He reached down and rummaged in his back pocket,

"Thanks uh… how much do I owe ya?" Harli walked out from behind the counter and leaned on the edge with a smile. Shaking her head, she propped her hand on her hip and waved her other,

"Don't worry about it… it's on the house." He stopped and looked back to her, his eyes narrowing as he tried to comprehend what he thought she had said.

"On the house? Russ'll be pissed."

"Eh, let him be. I didn't even put the order in the records books so he won't even know whether or not you paid for them." She waved her hand and brushed her father's anger quickly off her shoulder. Daryl stared at her for a moment before cocking half a smile and nodding at her,

"Thanks." His boots moved backwards a few steps until turning swiftly and walking towards the door. His hand gripped the door handle tightly and the door swung open, her soft voice calling out to him warmly.

"See you around, nice meeting you!"

"Yeah, see ya later." He brought his hand up over his shoulder in a weak wave, cocking his head in a rough nod and stepping out of the shop. He walked down the sidewalk, dodging a few people along his journey in returning to his old truck. The driver's door creaked open and he stepped in the robin-egg colored truck, staring at the receipt in his hands. He didn't know why she had given it to him and he knew she didn't even know exactly why. The only thing is said was: _Harli Waldgrave. It's on the house!_ with a smiley face engraved at the bottom.

He tossed the receipt down on his bench seat and started the groggy, roaring engine of his trusty truck. He shoved the stick shift into first gear and gave one last look at the shop, seeing Harli walking out with a large box in her arms. He chewed on his lip and narrowed his eyes as she gave a quick wave to him her long legs carrying her to a large dumpster on the side of the shop. He hummed in his throat and couldn't help but smirk unknowingly to himself as the truck shoved off from the sidewalk, trudging down the road back to his big brother Merle.

"What was the Dixon boy doin' here?" Harli's attention on Daryl's blue truck was knocked short when her dad's deep, southern licked voice raided her ears. She turned to face his dark blue eyes as he walked up from the back of the shop, the keys to his big truck jingling in his bruised hands. She cleared her throat and clasped her hands behind her back,

"Nothing… he just came to order a couple parts." She watched his employees shuffle back into the auto shop one by one, her father standing on front of her with his hands on his hips. After few strenuous moments, he nodded at her and flicked his head back towards the shop,

"Get your ass back in there and get workin' on that bike sittin' in there. I ain't payin' you to sit round here and be lazy."

"Yes, sir."

**.:=:.**

Harli wiped her forehead and stepped back, staring at the shambles of a Harley Davidson scrambled all over the floor. The exhaust system needed to be modified and the fueling system needed to be fixed, therefore, Harli had taken most of the large bike apart. The big car festival was this weekend and many orders of motorcycles and old muscle cars were making their way into Russell's shop. This was the third bike she had been set to fix since she started working at her father's shop a week ago. It was overwhelming in the hot summer weather; but Harli loved her job and working on such an amazing contraption really rattled her bones.

Her eyes found the clock high above the double doors leading into the office, seeing as it was now closing time. She heard her father's shop hands conversing with one another, passing her with a couple smiles and hushed tones. Harli turned around and scrunched her nose with a soft groan, always hating the desirous stares she got from her father's friends and other men she passed. It was sort of a downfall being a female mechanic with a specialty in motorcycles. Biker boys were always a handful.

She tilted her head at the thought of the man that scared her in the shop today. _Daryl Dixon_. He seemed sweet in her eyes and he was the first man out of a handful that didn't seem to stare at her in the same matter the others did. He was a bit hesitant to engage in conversation, but maybe he was just shy around girls? A lot of men are.

She smiled at the thought and brushed in through the double doors, seeing her Russell and his workers gathered around each other. Harli sat down in the chair behind the office desk and her eyes quickly found the computer screen as she went to an order site for parts.

"Harli." Her eyes found her father's dark blue eyes and a ring of keys flying her way. She caught them awkwardly and stared at them,

"Lock up shop and be here to open up here in the mornin'. Me and the boys are goin' out to the bar for a guy's night out. Make sure you get that bike fixed up by closin' tomorrow you got another one comin' in the afternoon and I don't want you to get too overloaded."

"Yes, sir." Harli mumbled and Russell gathered his shop hands, leading them out. The dead silence washed over Harli's ears as she quickly ordered the parts she needed, not wanting to stay too long after closing. Shutting down the computer, she stood up and walked around the shop, locking all the doors and windows, checking them all twice, before leaving out the back. Her book bag dangled over her shoulder, a makeshift purse, holding whatever items she needed on a daily basis.

Harli walked to her old, beat up Chevy Camaro and yanked open the door. The scratchy seat poked at her legs and she shoved the key into the ignition, twisting it to start the engine. But it refused. The engine turned over a couple clicks and finally started, taking a few seconds to actually gather enough power to drive. Harli sighed to herself and rubbed her head; she couldn't wait until she had enough money to buy a new car or at least get someone to fix it rather than her lazy father who didn't have the time.

She found her way on the small road leading to her house. She passed through town and the little downtown area on the lake in which the car show usually took place. This was a beautiful town, Waleska, and Harli was glad she moved to a place like it after she finished school.

Her eyes finally locked onto the driveway of her small home, and with a turn of the wheel, she pressed on the breaks and came to a stop. Grabbing her bag she stepped out of the rusty car and walked to her front door, unlocking it and stepping in. By the time she got home, the sun had already disappeared behind the horizon.

Harli flipped on the lights to her living room and heard soft cooing coming from the large black cage in the corner. With a smile, she walked over and clicked back, sticking a finger through the slots of the cage. A big black crow bounced to the edge of his branch and gently nibbled her finger in welcoming her home. She pulled away and walked towards the kitchen, tossing her bag on the table and heading straight for the refrigerator.

She sighed when she heard a low meow, turning her head over her shoulder to see her chubby orange cat waddling in to greet her. Looking over to his food bowl, she noticed he had eaten it all and he was most likely waiting for her to serve him.

_**Welcome home now feed me.**_

Harli tended to her pets first before herself, even though she had barely eaten anything all day. Scooping food into her fat cat's bowl, she prepared her crow's meal of small cubes of fresh, raw beef and a couple pieces of bread. The two began to scarf down their meals, and finally, Harli could take to herself.

She sat down on her couch with a bowl of soup and crackers, watching the news. The forecast promised good weather for the weekend ahead, the car show being one of the biggest events in the small town's year. Harli had never been to it, though, and she was sort of excited for it. All the classic cars, vendors, and devious motorcycles made her shiver with anticipation. It had been a long time since she had been to such a festive event.

Nothing interesting on the news, she took to her bathroom for a nice hot shower before the days end. She wanted to get to the shop early in the morning and get a head start on the motorcycle so she could hopefully get started on the next one coming in. She heard a low caw come from her crow, taking it that he wanted to get out and stretch his wings. _Maybe tomorrow night_ Harli thought as she stepped into the steaming water, taking in a sharp inhale as it burned her skin for only a few seconds. She pressed her head under the water and closed her eyes, taking in the delight of such a warm feeling. Grease, dirt, sweat, and grime circled warily around the drain as it surged off her body before descending down into the sewage system below the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Harli unlocked the back door to the shop, getting there two hours before opening. She wanted to get a head start on the Harley already completely taken apart in her stall to ready for the incoming motorcycle Russ had booked for her. Harli grunted with dissatisfaction at the thought; her father could have at least given her early notice of the appointment.

Harli threw her bag under the computer desk, leaning down and pushing the power button on to the desktop computer. As it warmed up, Harli walked over to the front window and yanked open the dusty blinds, squinting and flinching at the sudden sunlight that scared her eyes. Her hand hovered over her face and gladly blocked the sun from her eyes, opening another pair of yellow-colored blinds. She coughed as she inhaled the nasty dust as they flew up into the air, turning around and walking back towards the desk.

Tossing her coat on the swivel chair, Harli turned around on her heel and pushed through the swinging double doors that led into the stalls. She flipped on the overhead lights and placed her hands on her hips, staring at the shambled motorcycle. Scratching her head, she groaned and turned around, flipping on the propane for the blowtorch and placing her face mask and gloves on the table behind her. She had to weld on a customized tailpipe to the motorcycle; its owner wanted it hotter and louder so he could hopefully blow his fellow bike riders out of the water.

Harli knelt down on her bare knee and grabbed the tailpipe she rigged together yesterday. She shoved it back into place on the bike and grabbed her welding mask, tossing it on her head. The gloves settled too big on her fingers, seeming as they had been her fathers, and she grabbed the welding torch flipping the switch. The flame exploded once the propane ignited and hissed in Harli's ear as it burned violently. Harli pressed a button hanging lazily from the lift post, watching as the bike slowly lifted into the air. Once the bike was chest height to her, she walked forward and slapped the mask down on her face.

As if it were an angry yellow jacket, the flame buzzed against the chrome steel and shot off singing sparks that threatened to light everything on fire. But alas, the air was too cold for them to make it too far and they died on their journey. Slowly, Harli patiently molded the creases of the metal against the stern frame of the motorcycle. Welding was so electrifying that when she felt the amusing tingle of sparks meeting with her skin, a wave of enjoyment rolled through her spine.

Harli pulled back and flipped up the mask, briefly turning off the torch and switching sides. She pulled the propane tank along on its small wheels and grabbed the other tailpipe and shoved it into place. Harli didn't realize it, but a couple hours had already passed as she torched, rigged, and assembled the exhaust system on the Harley. It was a very grueling task and the heat of the torch, combined with the rising heat of the summer air outside, Harli felt like passing out.

Her breathing stopped when she heard the back door to the shop open, her eyes instantly meeting with the double doors. She looked up at the clock and noticed that it was already past 9:30 in the morning, mentally cursing to herself; she had completely lost track of time to open the shop at 8:30. Harli nearly jumped out of her skin when the double doors exploded open, Russ stepping in with a large scowl on his face. Harli gulped at the sight of his hungover demeanor, knowing he had to have been in a very bad mood. The bags under his eyes showed his lack of sleep and the red strings of bloodshot reaching for his irises signaled he may have still had alcohol in his beat up system.

"Why the hell haven't you opened the shop yet?" He grumbled while staring at her. She cleared her throat and stepped out from behind the bike, gripping her pair of gloves tightly behind her back with both hands.

"S-sorry… I got here a couple hours early to get a head start on the bike and I guess I lost track of time." She scratched the back of her head and shifted uncomfortably in her boots. With a displeased sigh, her father turned back around and disappeared behind the double doors once again. Harli let out a held breath and tossed her welding gloves on a clattered table, following her dad through the doors. She saw him sitting in the swivel chair, head rested on the table, "Dad, you can't keep doing this to yourself." She leaned over the counter above the computer, staring down at him. Even though they had a distant relationship, he was still her father and she still held concern for his alcoholism. "The counselor isn't going to be happy."

"Oh be quiet… I'm fine. I can go have fun wherever the hell I want whenever the hell I want." He looked up at her with irritated. She sighed and shook her head, looking out the window next to the counter.

"Our deal was that if I moved here to help you with your work that you would go to counseling and cut back on your drinking." She looked back at him and noticed that he was avoiding her piercing green stare. She sympathized with him; ever since her mother died at the age of thirteen, he was never the same. The alcohol taunted him and eventually took over his life.

"Do you seriously want to lose this shop? I mean, ever since you started it a few years ago that's all you ever talked about when you called me while I was away at school. This is your life." Her father grunted and got to his feet, casually strolling past her towards the front door. Russ reached down and grabbed the switch to the **OPEN** sign on the front window and flipped it on. He unlocked the deadbolt and handle to the door so people would be able to enter the office for business. Harli turned around and leaned back against the counter, "I can move back to Lovejoy… I have no problem with that."

"Don't." Her father finally mustered the courage to face her and he sighed, rubbed his hands through his hair, and eventually, his face. The scruffy peppered beard on the line of his jaw hissed as he scratched it, placing his free hand on his hip. "I'm tryin' my hardest here, you gotta understand that. I have so many bottles under my damn belt over the years you can't just expect me to cut it cold turkey."

"I'm not expecting you to but you can't just go party at the bar all the time on weeknights. I'm not gonna be that person to open shop and expect you or the other guys at any time of the day. There's work to be done and I'm no auto mechanic to finish up your work… only motorcycle." Harli clarified and Russ gave a steady nod. But she knew that all her words were going in one ear and eventually they'd blow right out the other. For now, she just wanted him to focus on the rest of the hot rods in the three stalls in the shop. The car show was this town's most important event, and if the bikers and muscleheads didn't have their rides back by the weekend, Russ might as well kiss his shop goodbye.

"Fine… fine… just leave me alone about it. Give me a few minutes to gather myself and go get back to work on that motorcycle." He pushed past her again, but this time, into his back office. Slamming the door behind him, Harli sighed and pressed back into the shop, staring at the Harley on the lift. The fuel system was next and Harli didn't look forward to it. Cleaning out the system was one of the most annoying things in the world to do.

**.:=:.**

Harli gritted her teeth and threw a wrench down on the ground, the steel screeching against the concrete and halting next to the feet of one of Russ' shop hands. He looked down at the wrench and saw the frustration eating at Harli's face, "Hey there little lady! Watch where you's throwin' them things!"

"Sorry…" Harli grumbled and scratched her head while staring at the problem. The fuel line to the motorcycle wasn't lining up right with the engine, meaning Harli had to have done something wrong. She thought quickly and walked to the back of the shop, opening a box full of spare fuel lines and yanking out a few to try on. "Thank god…" Harli was relieved when one of the spare fuel lines fit and finally managed to put all the pieces back together.

"God damn Dixon's!" She heard her father shout over the many power tools that were being used in the shop. Russ' shop hands all looked up curiously at the door and Harli tilted her head. Russ burst through the doors and threw a box on the table, grumbling to himself under his breath.

"What's wrong boss?" Russ looked over at his older shop hand and one of his best friends, Leroy,

"Damn Dixon's ain't answerin' their phone and I got these god damn brake pads Daryl came in and bought yesterday." Harli's eyes quickly returned to the motorcycle at hand once she heard the word _bought._ Leroy brushed his hands off with a dirty rag,

"Just take em down to their place."

"Can't… we gotta finish up that Mustang at the end down there by the end of close-shop today." Harli's eyes shifted back to her father from the corner of their sockets. He was torn in what to do and he knew very well that those brake pads needed to be either delivered or picked up as soon as possible. Harli breathed and looked back at the Harley, seeing that the bike was nearly complete. Standing to her feet, she grabbed the clean rag off the seat of the motorcycle, rubbing her palms against the gritty cloth.

"I'll take them down there." All eyes shifted to Harli as she stepped towards Russ. He narrowed his eyes at her,

"But you gotta finish that damn thing."

"It's basically done. All I got left is to take it on a test ride to see if it's riding smooth. I can do that when I get back." Russ was hesitant but he knew that Harli was his only chance at getting the brake pads to the Dixon's. It wasn't a major issue, but it was one less thing he had to worry about. This time of the year was always the most stressful. With a strained nod, he let out a sigh,

"Alright, but you best go there and come straight back. If you just follow Cherokee road all the way down to Edisun lane, take a left there and keep goin' until you see an old cabin with a big white shop behind it. If no one is there then just leave the brake pads in front of the shop door."

"I will." She grabbed the box of brake pads and turned around towards the double doors. She halted once she heard her father,

"And you watch out for that Merle! He may be a good friend of mine but he's as dirty as a dog gets!"

Harli heeded his advice and walked through the door, grabbing her bag from under the computer desk before she headed out the back door. The rusted exterior of the old black Camaro her father had given her stared her in the face as she approached. Opening the croaking door, she placed the brake pads on the back seat and tossed her bag on the passenger's seat. The heat of the interior of the car was almost unbearable, Harli barely being able to breathe. She pressed down on the clutch of the car, turning the key of the ignition to try and start it. But of course, the car mocked her just like the night before, turning over, but not completely. Once, she finally got it to start, but the engine coughed and shut off almost as fast as it started. Harli gritted her teeth and rested her forehead on the steering wheel, dropping her hand in her lap and closing her eyes, "Come on, baby… come on…" As if the car gave into her pleas, she turned the key and the engine roared to life like a lion establishing its dominance. With a pleased smile, Harli shut the driver's side door and quickly rolled down the window for fresh air, her car not having any AC.

**.:=:.**

The Camaro trudged down the long runway of dirt towards the Dixon's white shop, all the stall doors wide open. A nervous lump caught in her throat and the pit of her stomach began to ache as she got closer and closer. She saw a couple men walking around the stalls and staring at her as her old beater came to a stop. Taking a deep breath and gathering her anxious courage, she shoved open the driver's door and stepped out into the heat. Leaning back into the car, she grabbed the box of brake pads and shut the door with her foot, stepping towards the shop.

"Yo Merle, we got company…" Mitch nodded towards Harli as she got closer to the shop, making Merle's attention from the engine of the roadster in front of him to the girl in his driveway. A sly smile crossed his cheeks and he closed the gap between himself and her, meeting her just outside the stall,

"Hot damn… it must be my birthday! Pretty little thing like you don't come round these parts too often." He wiped his hands with a rag and Harli cleared her throat, trying to fight the blank slate in her head.

"You must be Merle… my dad's told me a lot about you. My name's Harli." Merle narrowed his eyes as they glazed over her extended hand onto figure, his lips pursing greedily. He finally managed to look back into her innocent and uneasy eyes, taking her hand in his in a tight handshake.

"Mmm mm… wish I could say the same about you. You must be Russell's kid; what brings you out here sweetcheeks?"

"Your brother uh… Daryl… came by yesterday and ordered brake pads for your motorcycle. Dad called a bunch of times but you guys didn't answer." Harli tried to avoid insatiable stare of Merle, shifting uncomfortably in her boots and extending the box out towards him. He looked at it, then back to her, taking the box in his hands,

"Well… didn't think these would come in so fast. How long you been around here for? It's a shame Russ never talked about you good lookin'. Probably hoped I wouldn't get a hold of ya." He grinned with a wink and a shiver ran up Harli's spine. She had never dealt with such a forward man and it was so overwhelming she didn't know what to do with herself. The other shop hands took notice of her odd presence and couldn't help but stop their work and stare at her as well.

"Merle!" Harli heard a shout come from behind her and both she and Merle turned to look towards the cabin. A wash of relief somewhat took over her body once her eyes found a semi-familiar face. As Daryl caught the sight of Harli standing in front of his brother, he tensed and slowed his pace, avoiding his gaze towards her and looking straight at Merle. Merle turned halfway towards his brother,

"What's so important, boy, that ya'll gotta ruin my conversation with Russ' pretty daughter right here?" Daryl stole a quick glance from Harli and stopped a few feet from them, looking back at Merle,

"Scrappy called and said he's on his way over to get his roadster. He ain't waitin' any longer." Merle nodded and looked back at Harli with a toothy grin, taking another quick look over her long, lean figure,

"Hope to see you round here more often. You should come with us to a night on the town some night and I'll show you a time you'll never forget." Merle looked back at Daryl as he turned around, placing the box of brake pads on a shop table. He smacked Mitch's shoulder and pulled him along back towards the roadster, getting back to work before its owner arrived. Harli looked over at Daryl, but saw that he was gone beside her and trudged into the shop without a word. She turned back around to her car and strode towards it under the hot sun, stepping in through the driver's side door.

Her fingers placed themselves on the key to ignition, but before she started the car, she looked back at Daryl, seeing the troubled look on his face. Ever since she saw him lay eyes on her, his entire demeanor changed from yesterday; like it was a bad thing she was here or something. Harli sighed to herself and flipped the keys to the engine, hearing it turn over and choke into silence.

_Crap._

She pressed her fore head against the steering wheel once again, shoving the clutch to the floor and trying to start it. It teased her with a few starting whines, but then coughed and shut off once again. A few sweet talking words came from her mouth to coax her car into starting again, but her car only took a couple stuttered laughs in the form of a turning engine. She groaned and slammed a balled fist on the dashboard,

"I swear I'm going to drive you off a cliff…"

"How you gonna do that if it don't even start?" Harli's head flicked up as she saw Daryl hovering over to driver's side window, his arm leaning on the door frame. He stared curiously at her and she laughed nervously,

"I guess you have a point…"

"Know why it won't start?"

"No. I'm not an auto mechanic." She said and Daryl stepped back, waving his fingers to coax her out of the car,

"Get out; let me see what's goin' on." Harli shoved the squeaky door open and stepped out, Daryl noting how humbly her legs held her up and showed how smoothly she moved. He brushed past her and stepped into the vehicle,

"God damn you might as well sit on the steering wheel while you drive…" Daryl grumbled more to himself than Harli, shoving the seat backwards so he could get his full figure into the Camaro. Harli waited patiently as she watched his hand go for the keys in the ignition. She hope, no she _prayed_ that it wouldn't start by Daryl's hand. She didn't want to start there like a bumbling idiot as he turned over the engine without a problem at all. But that car hated her ever since her dad gave it to her when she moved here; nothing but nonstop problems every time she drove it. Knowing the car, it would start right up for Daryl without a second choke.

Harli sighed in relief when the first two times Daryl tried to start the engine, it grumbled and didn't bother to turn over. Harli placed her hands on her hips as Daryl stepped out of the vehicle, leaving the door open and leaning on the frame.

"Hey Bobby Joe! Get your ass out here!" Harli looked over to see a younger southern boy, his dirty blond hair catching the air as he ran over to him. He smirked and winked at Harli as he passed by, Daryl flicking his head to the back of the car,

"Start pushin'."

"What?"

"I didn't stutter boy, get back there and start pushin'!" Daryl ordered and with fearful gulp, the younger man jogged back behind the car and placed his hands on the hot back end. Daryl put the car in neutral and pushed the door frame forward along with the little help of Bobby Joe. Harli walked along with them,

"What're you doing?"

"Gonna fix your car, what's it look like?" Daryl said with a strained grunt as Harli imagined the car had to have been heavy to push it like that.

"You don't have to do that I can just have my dad come tow it."

"No skin off my bones, not like I'm doin' anything important anyways." Daryl huffed and jumped out from behind the door, shutting it, and retreating to the back end of the car with Bobby Joe. They shoved it into an empty stall of the shop and it took no time coming to an abrupt halt. Daryl wiped the back of his hand over his forehead and panted, opening the driver's side door and leaning down by the pedals to control the Camaro. With a loud pop, the hood cocked open a few inches and Daryl walked up towards the front, unlatching the hood and propping it up with the rod.

Leaning over the engine, he felt the heat of the burning engine rolling up into his face, making him step back and take a breather. He saw Harli standing a fair distance outside the stall in the sun and narrowed his eyes, wondering why she was standing out there. He leaned back over the engine and brought his eyes towards the back of the giant mechanism and reached his fingers deep down in through a bundle of wires and other various parts under the hood. He flinched upon hitting a hot piece of metal and growled a profanity under his breath, trying to avoid any hot metal as much as possible. Finally finding what he was looking for, he didn't need his eyes to disconnect it as it was a cake walk for him. Daryl pulled his arm out of the crevice and started at the device in his hand, prying the connected pieces apart and diagnosing it quickly.

"Found your problem." Harli stared at Daryl as he walked towards her, a small, greasy little gadget in his hand. He held it up and Harli narrowed her brows, not knowing what it is, "Your starter. Damn things completely shot." Harli groaned and rubbed her dirty hand over her forehead,

"Ugh… just my luck."

"I can fix it for you real quick if you want." Daryl offered and Harli looked up at him questioningly, debating whether or not she should take the hospitality. She crossed her arms and put a hand on her chest with a sigh,

"How long will it take?"

"Bout an hour tops… I should have a starter round here somewhere." Harli debated even further. She had a motorcycle to get back to and test out to make sure it worked perfectly before the owner showed up. He could have possibly already been there, raising hell at her father's shop and demanding he get his motorcycle for free. Russ would definitely scold her to the bone whenever she got back _or_ bring the hellfire to her. Not to mention yet _another_ motorcycle would be dropped off that afternoon for her to start and be done with by Friday morning. But she couldn't bother her dad, or his shophands, for a ride. They were far too busy; and Harli wasn't about to ask the Dixon's for one either, they looked like they had their hands overflowing with work.

Guess it was just time to sit there and ride it out.

"That's fine… I guess I'll just sit here and wait for it to get done."

Daryl nodded and tossed the starter in the back of the old junk truck like a baseball, it landing with a loud thud in the forest of rusted parts. Daryl looked back down at Harli's dirty face, "I'll let you know when it's done. Ya'll welcome to have a beer and sit somewhere."

**.:=:.**

It was easy pulling out the fried starter to the car, but a lot harder to put back in with Daryl's large hands. He almost called over Bobby Joe to help him; but knowing that lazy kid, he would either hook it up the wrong way or not know what the hell he was doing. Almost forty five minutes had passed and Daryl had the started in place, but the frayed wires were proving quite difficult for him to connect back in.

Daryl pulled back out from above the engine, forgetting how low the hood of the car was hovering over him. His head slammed up against it and he stumbled back, rubbing his head and scowling at the car. He rammed his boot against the front end of it,

"Piece of shit!" He huffed abruptly and quickly calmed himself before he tore the Camaro a new asspipe. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he took a quick swig of a bottled beer and set it down gently.

"Ya'll gonna let that poor girl sit out there and wither in the heat?" Bobby Joe looked over at Daryl, taking a quick break from sweeping the dirt out of the empty shop stalls. Looking out over the top of the car, Daryl saw Harli sitting on the tailgate of his baby blue Ford. She had one leg drawn to her chest and her chin resting on her knee, her bangs covering her face from the bright sun.

"Stupid girl." Daryl scoffed and walked out of the stall towards her, wondering why the hell she was sitting out in the hot sun. Her tan skin looked like it was starting to turn red, "You're gonna be lookin' like a steamed lobster if you keep sittin' out here in this damn sun." Daryl stood over her and she looked up at him, shielding her eyes with her hand.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Don't be a stubborn ass. There's a stool you can sit on in the shop out of this heat. Come on now." Daryl enticed, but Harli didn't budge from her spot. Daryl grabbed her arm and yanked her off the burning metal of the tailgate,

"Hey!"

"You don't get to argue; I don't want to be callin' your daddy tellin' him you're dead of heat stroke in my driveway!" Daryl pulled her along through the shop stall and propped the stool next to a table. Harli took a quick seat, rubbing her arm where Daryl had towed her into the shop. His grip wasn't rough or tight, but Harli was surprised he grabbed her and dragged her into the shop to avoid the hot heat. She jumped when Daryl slammed something on the table beside her. Harli's green eyes saw a cold bottle of beer staring her in the face,

"Drink somethin', you look like you're bout to pass out."

"B-but… I don't drink liquor."

"Well, I ain't got no water so you're shit outta luck." Daryl turned back around for Round Two at the starter of the Camaro. He leaned over the engine of the car and reached his hands as far as he could behind the engine and started down through the jungle of wires, seeing the mechanism.

Harli's eyes slowly moved to the corner of her lids, staring at the freezing bottle of beer. A craving ball of lust rolled down her throat as she watched cold beads of perspiration traveling down the glass, finding refuge on the metal table below it. Looking back at Daryl and seeing that he was busy, she quietly grabbing the bottle and took a quick swing, gently placing it back down on the table. Her heart skipped a beat when the glass made a soft clank against the table. Her hands swiftly clasped together in her lap and she swallowed the liquor down her throat just as Daryl looked at her over his shoulder. With an accusing glance, he slowly turned back to his task at hand and Harli let out a sigh of relief.

Her dry throat was finally alleviated by the cold beer and it made her inhale with satisfaction. She always felt bad when people offered her their southern hospitality, but the beer sitting next to her was taunting her desperately to take another drink. She had to admit, the alcohol was good and the taste was pure pleasure on her tongue. She lied when she said she didn't drink liquor; only once in a blue moon did she drink and when she did, Harli didn't drink the little things, she would downright _binge_ drink.

But one beer wouldn't hurt, right?

Harli snagged the beer in her fingers again, shivering at the touch of its coolness. She brought the rim to her lips and closed her eyes in brief decadence, now chugging the drink down her throat. The weight of the beer tugged at the bottom of her stomach, Harli feeling a twinge of queasiness from guzzling it too fast.

"Damn girl… sure do like your liquor, dontcha?" Harli forgot all about Bobby Joe and the slippery neck of the beer bottle snapped out of her fingers. It crashed to the concrete floor and Harli gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Daryl pulled himself back upwards and stared at the glassy mess on the ground and then up to Harli's frightened eyes.

"I am _so_ sorry." She managed to apologize meekly. Daryl's eyes instantly went to Bobby Joe,

"Clean this mess up you made."

"I'm not the one who broke it, make her do it!"

"Ain't gonna make her do shit you're the one who scared her!" Daryl argued with the young adult, Bobby Joe sticking his tongue out at him childishly. Daryl shook his head and raised his eyebrows, "Stick that thing out at me again and I'll rip it out of your mouth with a pair of pliers…"

Bobby Joe stared back at Daryl challengingly and Harli sat motionlessly, still with his hands over her mouth, waiting for something to happen. With a smirk, Bobby Joe's tongue slipped back through his lips and sooner than it did, he wheeled around on his heel and took off through the shop. Daryl swiftly grabbed a pair of pliers off the table next to Harli and took off after the young boy, the two sprinting down the driveway.

"Kick that little fucker's ass Daryl! Teach him a lesson!" Merle called loudly with a laugh in his voice, both he and Mitch quickly walked to the edge of the stall to watch the chaos. Harli jumped off her stool and grabbed the broom Bobby Joe handled and a dustpan from the corner of the shop. She quickly swept at the mess as she heard a mass of shouts coming from Merle and Mitch; a few from poor Bobby Joe in the distance. But Harli had to admit to herself, he did ask for it and Daryl didn't seem like the kind of guy to play childish games. Bobby Joe was most likely showing off in front of Harli.

She dumped all the glass she could find with the broom into the trashcan next to Merle's stall. She couldn't help but stop and stare at Merle's motorcycle sitting patiently on the concrete. It was some type of modified Triumph Bonneville archetype, making Harli even more curious. The bike was old, that's for sure, and most likely had seen _many_ miles of endless highways. It had a modified gas tank, ape-hanger handlebars, and had a chopper-style front end. It was a really nice bike in Harli's eyes, but she preferred the famous Harley Davidson. She was named after them, after all. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at the Aryan Schutzstaffel double lightning bolt insignia on the gas tank. _What a shame._

"You look damn good standin' there next to my bike." Harli looked up and found the eyes of none other than Merle staring back at her. She felt her cheeks heat up in a blush,

"Yeah uh… pretty nice bike you got there. Triumph?"

"Takes a lot for people to figure out what my baby is… Daryl tells me you're Russ' little bikehead back at the shop."

"Yeah, fresh outta mechanics school actually." Harli tried to keep a casual conversation between she and Merle but he was too much of a horndog to care. With a smile, Merle walked towards her and Harli cleared her throat, feeling her rump brush up against a table as she backed up.

"You ride?"

"Only with test drives…"

"Well maybe this weekend you and me can take a little ride in the parade on my big black beaut back there and then after we'll come back to my place and get a little freaky." Harli almost passed out in embarrassment at the offer from Merle. He was so overwhelming with his lusty stare and toothy grin that Harli became tongue tied and couldn't muscle any words off her lips. "Whaddya say? Russ don't have to know bout it…" Harli heard the roaring shout of her Camaro's engine come to life and both she and Merle glanced over at it. Harli took that moment to slip out of Merle's radar and jogged towards her car,

"It was nice meeting you all!" Finally words came out of her mouth as she left the stall of the shop, waving back at Merle and Mitch. Her Camaro came to an abrupt halt and she stopped a few feet of way, watching as Daryl stepped out of it. His face was less than amused, less than cheerful, as he glared at her before returning his attention to the car. Daryl pressed the hoodrod back down in its clip and slammed the hood shut, wiping his hands on his pants.

"There… all fixed and done with." He left the driver's side door open for her and she walked forward, placing a hand on the doorway. The car chugged in surrender to Daryl's superior mechanical skills, but Harli knew that it was only a matter of time before it tried to screw her over again. But Harli ignored that fact and smiled at Daryl, elevating her hand towards him,

"Thank you… I really appreciate it. I couldn't bring myself to ask my dad to look at it, being busy with the festival this weekend and all."

"No problem… anything for a friend." Harli's smile widened and her bright white teeth gleamed in the sunlight at the sound of the word _friend_. Daryl took her hand in a tight handshake once again, a bit surprised at how strong her grip was. He pulled away before she did and Harli quickly leaned into her car, grabbing her bag,

"How much do I owe you?" Harli pulled out her wallet and Daryl's head instantly flicked in a shake,

"Nothin'. It's on the house."

"Gonna pull that card, huh?" He couldn't help but cock a half smile on his face and he nodded,

"The least I can do for givin' me those brake pads for free. I know they're pretty damn expensive." Harli sat in the driver's seat and pulled the door shut, staring up at him through the open window.

"Thanks again… see you around." Daryl nodded without a word and Harli threw the Camaro in reverse, the car rolling backwards out of the driveway slowly. Daryl turned back around towards the shop and rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip. He threw a wrathful glare at Bobby Joe as he entered the shop,

"Looks like my little brother made a cute little friend!" Merle stared at Daryl with a thick smile and Daryl only ignored him. Mitch looked over at Merle,

"Pretty little girl she was. Wouldn't mind gettin' a piece of that myself."

"In your dreams Mitch. With that ugly mug of yours there's no chance."

"I could say the same for you, Merle!" Mitch called back to his old friend. Daryl huffed while listening to the two older men's suggestive conversation. He shook his head at the thought of Harli and Merle getting together; there was just no way Russ would let that happen. For once in Daryl's eyes though, he saw a girl that wasn't interested in Merle or his charm. "She wasn't much of a talker though…"

"Ah, I thought that innocence in her eyes was absolutely adorable. That's how you can tell she's a virgin." The two laughed together and Daryl walked out of the shop towards the cabin. He heard Merle call after him, but Merle's words didn't pierce the muddy waters of Daryl's mind. Daryl jumped up the back steps of the cabin and slammed the door behind him, taking a deep breath before his lost his marbles. He hated it, so much, that Merle and the other guys who he hung around had no respect for women. Daryl felt like the only one. Sure, every now and then he'd get drunk at the bar, gather his liquid courage, and take a girl home for a night of fun. But he didn't have the charm his brother had and he had no idea how he got girls talking to them the way he did. Daryl just couldn't bring himself to follow in Merle's footsteps.

He did notice that Harli was a bit awkward around Merle, Mitch, and even Bobby Joe. But he was confused at how she had absolutely no problem talking to him. Daryl felt a bit strange around her as well and couldn't help but engage in casual conversation. He silently admitted to himself, deep in his head that was soon locked away, that Harli was a very pretty girl. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her exotic features: those bright green eyes, her chocolate highlighted hair that barely reached the middle of her back, and the way she carried herself when she walked.

But he knew that he had no chance with her.


	3. Chapter 3

Harli rubbed her eye with the ball of her hand and stepped out of her bedroom, stretching her free arm as high as it would go. With a groan, she walked down the hallway towards her kitchen, her house burning with the bright, early morning sun. A loud sigh escaped her lips and her green eyes shimmered like glass against the sunlight that bore through a large window behind her kitchen table. Her feet walked her body to the glass slider door leading into her rather large, fenced backyard. Pressing her forehead against the cool glass, she groaned in relief and scratched her fingers through her hair.

Hello Saturday morning.

Harli heard _click-clack, click-clack_ moving across the tiles on her kitchen floor, looking down to see her chubby orange cat Nacho. He stopped and sat down on his rump, yawning a big, toothy yawn up towards Harli. His own pale green eyes stared at her curiously, "What?"

His ears flicked backwards and his back legs picked him up off his rump. His stubby tail poked itself up in the air and he moved towards his food bowl, beginning to stuff his face with hard cat food. Her head moved towards the black cage in the corner of her living room when she heard soft chatter coming from her crow, Gumbo. She moved quietly towards him and he noticed her presence immediately, hopping to the edge of his branch and poking his beak through the slots of the cage. Harli unlocked the latch and lazily elevated her arm through the door, Gumbo's claws latching onto her skin softly. He opened his wings up hallway to balance himself as Harli pulled him out of the cage. Gumbo looked down at his feet and slowly moved sideways up Harli's arm and onto her shoulder, pecking at her head with gratitude. She laughed as it tickled her scalp and turned back around towards the kitchen.

Gumbo lifted his wings and flapped them violently as he jumped to the ground, hopping around on the tile. Harli smiled and opened the fridge, standing with the door open and pursing her lips as she looked for something good to eat. She heard a commotion in the corner and saw Gumbo pecking at Nacho's tail as it flicked about of the floor. Nacho jumped up and lifted his paw towards Gumbo, but didn't smack his because he knew he would get into trouble. They grew up together, from kitten and chick, and eventually learned how to get along.

Harli pulled out a few eggs and milk, grabbing a loaf of bread from the cabinet above the microwave. It was quick for Harli, and she was a good cook, while she made breakfast for herself. Harli conjured up some scrambled eggs and crispy wheat toast with a tall glass of milk. With a few sprinkles of salt and pepper, some swipes of butter, it was all complete and Harli's stomach growled greedily as she smelt it wafting through the air. She grabbed her cutlery and sat down at the small kitchen table, staring at Gumbo coincidently perching himself across from her. Poking the fork prongs into the fluffy egg scrambles, she brought the rich goodness into her mouth and savored it until it rolled down her throat. She heard a small murmur and looked down, seeing Nacho staring brightly up at her and waiting patiently with a cat-like smile on his face.

Harli sighed and gave in, rolling her eyes and grabbing a small piece of egg and dropping it on the ground for him. Gumbo squawked with discontent and Harli turned back to him, tossing him a larger piece on the table. His beak grabbed it and swallowed it as quickly as he cold, staring back at Harli and inching closer to her when she wasn't looking. Harli's jaw chewed back and forth as she downed her food, and not paying attention, she plucked another couple pieces of scrambled eggs onto her fork.

"Ow!" Harli put her hand to her mouth when she bit down hard on her fork, not picking up any scrambled eggs on the way. Her teeth throbbed from biting so hard and she looked up to see Gumbo swallowing the egg she was meant to eat. She narrowed her eyes and scoffed, "Ugh, you can be such a brat."

Harli finished her late morning breakfast and walked back to her bedroom to get ready for the day. Yes, it was Saturday and that meant it was the annual car show and festival all day that day. Harli's heart burned in excitement; she loved classic cars, old hot rods, and the endless amount of motorcycles that would flood the streets of downtown made her shiver in anticipation. All the people, all the booths, and all the happiness around would definitely be worthwhile.

Harli pulled a deep yellow sundress out of her closet, laying it on the bed. She stripped off the tank top and shorts she usually wore to sleep, letting them fall to the ground. Harli rummaged around in her dresser and pulled out a white strapless bra, snapping it around her breasts and returning to her bed. The dress clung to her bra tightly and the rest of the yellow fabric hung loosely about her body, ending just above her knees. Harli stepped towards her vanity and sat down in a chair, staring at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was tangled with motorcycle mechanical madness and she sighed, blowing air from her lips up against a bang. It draped back over her face and she grabbed all her hair in both of her hands, twirling it around her hand. She twisted it high above her neck and grabbed a bun clip, snapping it around her hair and letting her hands rest on the vanity. A few curly strands of her chocolate brown locks hung around her face and she shrugged her shoulders, deeming the hairstyle fit for her attire. Harli's fingers grabbed an old box, flipping open the top and revealing many articles of her late mother's jewelry. She pressed a pair of diamond earrings into her pierced earlobes and draped a small-chained necklace around her neck. The pendant of the necklace held a large black pearl in a white gold frame. Two bracelets situated themselves on her left wrist and a diamond ring tightly clung onto her left middle finger.

From one eye to another, Harli applied light makeup on her face. Her eyelashes curled heavily as she applied mascara, feeling them brushing up against her upper eyelid. Onyx black eyeliner coated her lower lids and smoky grey eye shadow rested just behind the wall of long eyelashes. Her cheeks were a flawless tan and she didn't need any cover up, but she did brush a very light shade of peachy colored gloss over her lips. Harli stared at her obvious beauty, even though she didn't consider herself beautiful in any sense, and sighed with the little satisfaction the makeup brought.

Her cell phone rang loudly on her night stand and Harli got to her feet, quickly retrieving it. She stared at the bright face of the phone, seeing the word **Dad** glaring back at her. Her thumb pressed the answer button, "Hello?"

"_Hey girl, you leavin' your house yet?"_

"Yeah. I slept in till about ten or I would've left a little bit ago…" Harli rubbed her fingers across the back of her neck apologetically and she heard her father grunt on the other end of the phone.

"_That's no problem. You've been workin' so damn much since you got here it's a miracle you've been sleepin' at all."_

"Yeah I guess… it felt good though."

"_Well me and the boys are gettin' ready to leave the shop right now. We left a parkin' spot for ya to park there and walk so you don't have to spend all day tryin' to find one." _Her dad explained and with a nod, as if she were talking to him in person, Harli took the offer.

"Alright, thanks."

"_We'll be clownin' round the car display by the lake. I'll have my phone on me if you need to get ahold of my worthless ass."_

Harli laughed under her breath and nodded her head once again, "Okay dad, bye."

"_See ya kid." _Harli ended the phone call with a small smile and shoved her phone in her bag, tossing the strap over her head to rest against her neck.

She was glad that her dad was trying to establish some type of relationship with her. After their fallout before Harli moved off to school, she thought she'd never talk to him again. But after a couple years, Russ called her weekly and made at least some attempt to talk to her, to let her know what he was up to and opened his dream shop of a specialty mechanic store. A good friend of his, who was his specialty motorcycle mechanic, died of pancreatic cancer a couple years prior to Harli's establishment at the shop. Thus, Russ called her and asked if she would be willing to move to Waleska to help him keep his shop strong and running, being his lead motorcycle specialist.

And here Harli was.

Harli put on a pair of white sandals and grabbed her bag, making sure she had all her needed items for the day: wallet, makeup bag, perfume, a small toolkit she always kept, and a sweatshirt just in case she needed it. Walking back into the kitchen, Harli saw Gumbo perched on the back of the wooden chair to her table, tilting his head and staring at her curiously. She stretched her arm towards him and Gumbo's claws tickled her skin as he crawled back onto her arm. He hopped back onto his wooden perch inside his cage and Harli gave him his breakfast before snatching her car keys off the counter. Making sure all her doors were locked, she walked through the front door and locked it behind her.

The engine to her old Camaro started up without any rebellion, making Harli smile triumphantly.

"Thank you Daryl Dixon…" The words mumbled through her lips with gratitude and she shoved the stick shift into reverse, pulling out of her small driveway. The car rolled easily down the road and the traffic was already becoming flooded. With a town of almost 700 people in its population, plus the travelers, tourists, and people from neighboring towns, the annual car show was problem the biggest festival they celebrated beside The Festival of Trees at Christmas.

The pit of Harli's stomach began to flutter as she grew closer to her father's shop; closer to the downtown area. Horns blared with bumper-to-bumper traffic and Harli rested her arm on the window panel of her door, staring out at the mass of people already walking down the sidewalks towards the displays by the lake.

Harli pulled in through the alleyway behind her father's auto shop and found the parking spot he was talking about. Locking her car, she threw her bag's strap over her shoulder and shoved her keys in an out pocket, walking out of the alleyway towards the street. As if she were in the car, she looked both ways on the crowded sidewalk until she found an opening and quickly took her chance in the crowd. The shop was only a mile from Cherokee road and the downtown area, so it didn't take long before Harli found herself in the midst of all the action.

Vendors stretched across the middle of the closed streets, catching people's eyes cleverly as they passed by. People walked their dogs, children ran crazily through the crowds of people, and young lovers held hands while the boys bought their girls nice gifts. Harli saw big blow-up playground fluttering around as the children expended all their energy with all their excitement. Street performers littered the different corners of downtown, hoping to make a few dollars from the onlookers that were intrigued by their talents.

Harli stopped dead in her tracks when the exploding sound of hot rods and motorcycles echoed through the streets. Her green eyes instantly found the culprits, seeing hundreds of them lined up in on the shoreline of the lake. A smile crossed her face upon seeing the beauty of the classics all over and the excitement of seeing them was almost unbearable. She found that her feet were quickly carrying her towards the scenic view of mechanical beings, weaving in and out of groups of people, and avoiding children as they jumped in front of her.

"Harli! Harli!"

Harli stopped as her sandals descended in the grass and she squinted her eyes at the person jogging towards her. A smile crossed her face and Harli moved forward as the familiar friend waved at her, "Meredith!?"

Meredith practically jumped on Harli in a tight embrace, Harli trying to gasp for air through the woman's tight grasp. Meredith twirled Harli and tossed her back and forth in sheer joy, "How's my baby cousin!? I haven't seen you since you arrived here from Atlanta a couple weeks ago. You never called me back!"

Meredith finally let Harli out of her deadly grasp and Harli stepped back, taking a deep breath to ensure she wouldn't pass out. Meredith pouted and put her hands on her hips, waiting for an excuse to slip through Harli's teeth.

"Sorry, I've just been swamped with work since I've been here. You could've come by the shop and seen me, this relationship works both ways." Harli joked and Meredith couldn't help but smile.

It was a bright, toothy grin under a light shade of pink lip gloss. A wind caught Meredith's long, curly black haired bouncing around in her ponytail and the lazy bangs in her face tickled her cheeks. Meredith was all of twenty nine years old, elementary school teacher, and a bartender of her friend's local bar on the weekends. Harli laughed at the contradicting thought of Meredith being both a school teacher _and_ a sexy bartender. Meredith was Harli's older cousin from her father's side and Harli spent a lot of her childhood around Meredith; the two being inseparable friends.

"Well, let's talk, let's walk, and go look at some damn sexy cars. And by the way… we're not children anymore, you know I like to go by my nickname now!"

"Alright, Alright… _Red_." Harli always really liked Red's soft southern accent that slipped sensually off her tongue every time she talked.

Harli then observed the fresh half-sleeved tattoo of roses on Red's right arm, "That's really pretty. When did you get that?"

"Bout a month ago. Been waitin' since I was eighteen to get it! Finally muscled the courage and money to go get it. Kinda sucks though, I gotta cover it up when I'm round the kids or I'll be fired otherwise." Dimples formed at the edges of Red's lips into a smile as she looked over at Harli. Red took a good look at Harli's outfit and hummed in her throat,

"Mhm, dang girl! You're lookin' damn pretty today! I love the color yellow on you, really brings out those amazin' eyes of yours."

"Thanks Red. You look very nice today too! You're taking on the biker-chic I see." Harli stared at the shredded up jeans shorts that Red wore, accompanied by a loose black tank top and knee high leather boots. The dark color of her eye makeup really brought out the deep blue irises of her eyes and they were almost mesmerizing to look at. Red cocked a half smile and shrugged her shoulders,

"Been datin' this biker boy for a few months now. His name's Hayden; part Cherokee that man and I can't get enough of him. Guess his style rubbed off on me."

"Is he here?"

"To my dismay he's not. Got stuck workin' outta town in Virginia all weekend and probably won't be here till late Tuesday." Red looked down at the grass disappointingly and Harli patted her shoulder. Red instantly looked into Harli's green eyes and dimples formed on her cheeks once again, "Anyways, nuff bout me. You're daddy here?"

Red put her hand above her brow and looked about the sea of cars, searching for Russ among the huge crowd of bikers and old men that were most likely bragging about their cars features. Harli looked around as well as they finally reached the congregation of hot rods,

"Should be around here somewhere. Said he would be down here most of the day."

"Well can't be too hard to find. Just gotta look for the ugliest man here." Red laughed and Harli couldn't help but emit a giggle in her throat as well. Red slapped a hand on her cocked hip and scoffed,

"Bet he's surrounded by his little posse of shop hands and friends from other shops."

"Well, we don't have to look for him right now let's just go enjoy some of these beautiful cars. We're bound to run into him at some point."

"Oh lady, I like the way you think! I don't think my eyes can handle all the eyegasms these sex-machines will give me."

Harli shook her head and smiled at Red, walking into a row of old hot rods. Red appreciated these vehicles almost as much as Harli did, the two being raised around classic cars and old motorcycles. Russ and Charlie, Red's father and Harli's uncle, used to be in a biker club, but eventually gave that up after the two girls had become young children.

One by one, the bright, shiny colors of the hot rods made Harli's skin tingle. She stared at the engines that poked out from the middle of hoods, extra accessories, and fat tires that made the cars look tough. Red made Harli take a few pictures of her next to the cars so that she would be able to send them to her far away Hayden, who was dearly missing out on all the fun. Harli couldn't help but touch the flawless finished on the cars with her fingers, recognizing quite a few of them that her father had worked on in the weeks prior to this day. Mustangs, Camaros, Barracudas, Firebirds, Impalas, Chevelles, Chargers, GTO's, and any other model of classic muscle cars Harli could think about were there. Some girls like going to the beach to sunbathe and show off their bodies, others like to go shopping, get their nails done, and gossip about boys at sleepovers. But not Harli; this is where she found piece of mind. Getting down and dirty within the confines of a machine that growled just to send pleasure up the spines of its audience.

"Man… I can't wait to hear these baby's scream in the parade later on tonight." Red breathed while running her hand across the back end of a cherry-red 1968 Ford Mustang. Harli failed to comprehend her words as Harli's eyes set on a jet black Harley Davidson, the two finding themselves in the territory of the bikers. Red smiled when she saw Harli had descended into the forest of motorcycles and followed after her young cousin.

"How I wish I had a motorcycle to ride…" Harli mumbled while staring at the black beast, crossing her arms and pouting. Red's deep blue eyes stared over at Harli apologetically,

"Hey now… you're the best mechanic in the county; you'll make enough money to buy at least ten of these bad boys."

"Oh hey there girl!" Harli and Red looked up to see an old biker gentlemen approaching them; his long grey beard moving flawlessly in the wind. Harli recognized him and smiled as he stopped,

"Hi Gary, how's the bike running?" Harli took her hand in his in a quick, stern handshake, recognizing him as one of her clients. He smiled brightly through his beard and mustache,

"Good! Good, do you wanna hear the Ol' Girl?"

"I've already heard it when I took it out on a test drive before you picked it up though!"

"Yeah but it'll give me a chance to show it off to all the competition and lovely ladies such as you and your friend here."

Harli smiled and looked at Red, who laughed to herself as the two followed Gary back to his bike. He hobbled his chubby self onto the seat and set the kickstarter, shoving down on it. Amusement rolled up both Harli and Red's spines as the double headed engine roared to life. The Harley's engine bragged with a loud scream as Gary rolled the acceleration, revving the engine as loud and high as it would permit. Harli couldn't help but smile at her work and all eyes turned to find the source of the growling engine. Gary had a wide smile on his face and shut off the engine, all their ears ringing from the thunderous sound of the notorious motor,

"Baby can make your ears bleed!" Gary laughed and stepped off his bike and Harli could feel goosebumps on her warm, tan skin. Gary slapped a hand on the ape-hanger handlebars, "Yeah, I'm gonna win that damn contest for sure later tonight! Whatever money I win I'll be sure to give you a nice chunk out of it, Little Lady!"

"No! You don't have to do that!" Harli protested and waved her hand with a sorry smile. Gary only laughed to himself and shook his head,

"Ya'll deserve it! I've never seen someone know so much about motorcycles before and fix 'em up the way ya do!"

"Well, thank you Gary, I really appreciate it!" Harli thanked the old biker and her and Red walked off towards a big maple tree in the cool grass. Red bought Harli a frozen lemonade and the two situated themselves under the maple tree to take a breather from the hot sun above. A cool breeze from the lake washed over the festival-goers and provided simple relief of the hot air.

Red sighed and fell on her back, closing her ears and groaning, "Man… should've brought my bikini with me so I could've taken a cool dip in that lake."

Harli looked over her shoulder at the beach only a couple hundred feet away, seeing many children, teenagers, and adults crowded around the lakeside. They splashed in the water with smiles and laughs, some girls lying on the beach for sunbathing, hoping a cute male spectator would stop and talk to them. Adults shouted at kids to ensure their safety and others stuffed their faces with hot and cold foods from the vendors on the streets.

Harli tipped the frozen lemonade back into her mouth and sighed from the soothing cold of the pinhead-sized pieces of ice. She crunched down on them and swallowed the lemony taste, "I love frozen lemonade. Thank you for buying it for me, Red."

"No problem, Little Cuz. Feels good to be hangin' out with you again. Been a long time since you left for college and I moved back here; been lonely for quite some time." Red leaned her cheek over in the grass and her eyes widened with recognition. She smiled and the dimples of her cheeks caved into her skin, "Hey look! There's your daddy!"

Harli turned her head and stared over, seeing her father standing in a small congregation of his friends and local bikers. He had a wide smile on his face, one in which Harli hadn't seen in years, and laughed from a stale joke. Whatever joke it may have been came out of none other than Merle Dixon's mouth as he stood next to Russ and slapped a hand on his shoulder in a boisterous laugh. They were all standing next to Merle's bike and the same baby blue Ford truck that she sat on a few days ago while Daryl fixed her car.

At the thought of it, her eyes finally found Daryl, who sat on the tailgate of his truck and laughed rowdily along with his friends around him. Bobby Joe leaned on his truck next to him, Mitch standing on the other side of Russ, and Roy and the other shophands of Waldgrave Automotive and Specialties standing about the assembly of men. But Harli couldn't bring herself from the sight of Daryl. He was so much different from the other times she saw him; happy, energetic, _laughing_ of all things. It made her smile knowing that he was having a good time.

"Whatcha starin' at there?" Red leaned up on the palm of her hands and followed Harli's gaze, finally noticing the Dixon brothers were integrated into the group. A sly smile crossed Red's face and she looked at Harli, "Okay, which Dixon is it? Huh? Huh!? Oh dear, I bet it's Daryl, ain't it? Merle's a bit too old and rowdy for you."

Harli quickly cut her gaze from Daryl and looked to Red, "W-what're you talking about? I'm not looking at anyone!"

"That blush on your sweet little cheeks tells me otherwise." Red smiled and her black hair bounced about her face in the wind.

Harli put her hand to her cheek and shook her head childishly, "It's nothing… I swear!"

"You can tell me anythin', cuz. You're too bad a liar to hide it from me. Come on now!" Harli pouted and gave into Red's charm, sighing and dropping her hand in her lap. Red crossed her legs and laughed to herself, "So it is the little Dixon brother? I don't blame you. That Daryl, mmm!"

Harli felt a blush creeping on her face and it made Red laugh at the shyness on her face. "Oh, you should go over there and hang out with him!"

"No way! He's having a good time with my dad and everyone right now…"

"Oh come on Harli! All your life you've been focusin' on school and whatnot I never even seen you with a boy before. You ever even have a boyfriend once in your life?" Red looked over at her and Harli meekly stared into Red's blue eyes,

"Like… two. When I was away at college."

"See now! It should be a cake walk for you to go over there and hang out with them. I'll go with you!"

"Yeah that's easy for you to say Red the boys all bowed at your feet every chance they got!" Harli argued and Red only shrugged her shoulders and looked back at the crowd,

"So? Don't mean nothin' in your sense the boys are equally at your feet you just don't know it. Maybe you'll get lucky with him tonight?" Red smirked deviously with a wink of an eye and Harli put her hand to her forehead, half trying to cover her face.

"I highly doubt that…" Harli mumbled and Red tilted her head while narrowing her eyes. Leaning in close to Harli, Harli tipped back from Red's invasive nature, "Ya'll even been with a man before?"

"Uh…"

"Are you tellin' me your cherry's never been popped!?" Red practically shouted in disbelief and Harli almost died of embarrassment. Harli growled to herself, "You might as well just get a microphone and announce it to the entire town!"

"You've never _ridden the bologna pony_ before?"

"Dear Lord Red do you even have a filter on that mouth of yours!?" Harli pressed her face into her hands to try and calm her skin from turning bright red. She heard Red laugh hysterically and slap a hand against her thigh, shaking her head, "I'm sorry Harli, but damn, I've never heard of a twenty-six year old virgin before! As pretty as you are, it's a damn surprise you ain't played _park the car_ with a lucky boy."

"Red, I swear your parents never washed your mouth out with soap when you were little."

Red ignored Harli and looked back over at Daryl, seeing him talking back to someone in the group. She smiled and sighed, "He's a damn cute guy; and with him and Merle bein' friends with your daddy I'm sure you'll see plenty of each other. But you gotta watch out for that Merle… he's dang resilient when it comes to pretty little girls he sets his eyes on. Ain't no stoppin' him from gettin' in their pants."

"Yeah… I've already had wonderful chance of being on the other end of Merle's gaze."

"That makes two of us. They always come by the bar on the weekends when I'm bartendin'; Merle's hit on me a few times but he knows Hayden and respects, now, that I'm his girl. I've had the chance to talk to Daryl before he gets his liquor in him; pretty nice guy and real sweet when he wants to be but… he sure does have a temper." Red looked back at Harli, who sat in silence and still tried to cool down from Red's downpour of sexual terms. Red smiled, "I watched Daryl get into this bar fight a couple weeks ago; knocked the poor guy out and sent him to the hospital. Boy rarely starts the fights but he sure as hell finishes 'em. Only thing Daryl got was a couple of bruised fists… man's gotta set of arms on him, that's for sure, and I thank the Lord he always wears those sleeveless shirts!"

"You need to start taking cold showers more."

"That doesn't help, I've tried!" Red shook her head blatantly and Harli managed to glance back at Daryl shyly, for the first time since they met. Red was making it very awkward, but soon, Harli managed to calm herself down and her gaze on Daryl finally became neutral. "Well, whaddya say cousin? Should we go over there and finally greet your daddy?"

Red got the grass under her boots and stood up, stretching her back. Her tank top lifted a couple inches to show her belly and she took a deep breath, standing upright. Harli saw Red's hand elevated down towards her and she took it, Red helping her to her feet. Harli brushed off her yellow sundress and rested her bags strap on her shoulder once again, curling a couple bangs behind her ears. Red strut in front of Harli as they approached the group of men,

"Oh uncle Russy-Russ!? You're two beautiful ladies have arrived!" Red called as she stopped at the edge of the men's circle, hands on her hips with a smile as they all looked towards her. Harli stopped next to her and smiled it a waved of her fingers towards her dad.

"Ohhh! There's my girl!" Russ swooped an arm around Harli's shoulder and pulled her in tight next to him, Harli's face being smashed against his chest. If he was acting this happy, then he had already started drinking. Her thoughts were confirmed when Harli saw an open beer in his hand, "Ey boys! Doesn't my girl look mighty pretty today?"

"Oh dad, please…" Harli pouted in her father's tight grasp and looked at Red, seeing a wink coming from her blue eye. Red snickered along with the chuckles and laughs sounding from Russ and his friend's mouths, seeing the clear embarrassment on Harli's face. Harli glanced over at Daryl, who stared at her with half a smirk plastered on his face as he took a large drink of the beer in his hand, making her blush even further. It was so overwhelming.

"Too bad Clayton and Charlie ain't here… my day would be satisfied like my stomach is with this beer!" Russ took a drink of his beer, Harli still clamped against his side and feeling all eyes still on her. Merle smirked and looked over at Russ,

"Where is that Clayton youngster at? Haven't seen him in months."

"Boy's been out at boot camp. Plannin' on joinin' the Marines or somethin'." Russ stated as Harli finally wriggled out of her father's grasp and stepped back next to Red, smoothing out her dress. Red looked over at Harli's chest and then back into Harli's bright green eyes, leaning in close to her ear, "Bra's showin', honey…"

Harli almost let out a shriek of mortification and turned around quickly, adjusting the dress back to its designated position. She put her hand over her beating heart and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. What was with everything becoming so awkward all of a sudden?

"Russell?" Harli heard Merle's low voice and looked over her shoulder, seeing all the men speaking in hushed tones. She looked down and watched as Merle flashed an unmarked prescription bottle and her father smiled diligently with a nod. Merle glanced up at the other overseeing members of the group and they all gave him insatiable stares. The group finally disbursed towards an unoccupied area of the park nearby and Merle looked back at Daryl, "You comin' brother?"

Daryl glanced at Harli from the corner of his eyes and then back to Merle. He knew they were going to do some hardcore stuff, most likely meth or oxycodone Merle had bought earlier, and Daryl wasn't much into the drug scene. With a shake of the head, he stayed planted on the tailgate of his truck. "Nah… ya'll go ahead."

He watched as Merle looked over at Harli keenly, looking back at Daryl with a sly smirk and raising his eyebrows. Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head, glaring out at the lake and taking a swig of his beer. Merle tried his luck with Harli a few days ago; a hit and miss. Daryl didn't think he could get Harli away from his brother fast enough. But Merle surely would be unstoppable with whatever drugs were getting ready to eagerly pump through his body.

"How's Daryl Dixon doin' on this fine Georgian day?" Red sparked up a conversation as she leaned on the side of the truck, avoiding the burning hot metal of the vehicle. Daryl looked over at her and then felt the end of his truck dip from a sudden weight, looking over to see Harli sitting next to him on the tailgate.

"Fine. What about you girls?" Daryl looked off into the crowd of people while finishing off the beer in his hand. He reached over Harli's head and she ducked, tossing the beer bottle softly into the bed of the truck so it wouldn't shatter.

"Doin' good I suppose. Probably would be better if it wasn't so damn hot outside." Red sneered at the sky, shielding her eyes from the baring sun that made the air so hot and humid.

"Yeah, I hear ya there." Daryl rubbed his scruffy chin and looked out towards the glistening lake as people bounced about in their waters and boats raced back and forth from end to end.

"Oh Ms. Waldgrave! Ms. Waldgrave!"

Red, Harli, and Daryl's eyes all shifted to a group of children running up to the truck. A small boy stopped at the lead of the group and Red turned around, smiling down at the boy, "Oh Ryan! How are you today?"

"Awesome! I was wondering if you wanted to come play some basketball with me and a bunch of kids from our class. We'd really like it if you could!"

"Will you be okay without me?" Red tossed a looked over her shoulder at Harli with a smile coming from her deep blue eyes. Harli shrugged and shook her head,

"I'll be fine. You go have fun with your kids."

"Alright!"

The boy and his friends grabbed Red's hands and dragged her away towards the park. Daryl looked down at Harli, studying her features and getting a good look for the first time. It was weird seeing her outside work; no grease or dirt on her face. She was dolled up in makeup and he smirked in his mind at the yellow sundress she wore. He never thought she was the type of girl to wear such vibrant colors.

"How's your car runnin'?"

"Good. Started right up this morning. Thanks again, I really appreciate it." Harli smiled at him vibrantly with gratitude and Daryl couldn't help but catch the contagion of the smile. Harli bounced off the tailgate into her white sandals and turned around to face him, flicking her head over her shoulder. "Come on… I'll buy you a beer."

Harli waited for him to get to his feet, seeing the hesitation in his face. She smiled and waved for him to follow, and finally, he got to his feet and followed her like a lost puppy. Back and forth they weaved through the crowded streets of people, staring at the many vendors as they walked by. Daryl watched Harli's careful movements around the crowd, seeing as she was trying to avoid any bodily contact with anyone.

The two reached a bar and Harli slid up against the bar side, flashing her ID and pulling out some cash. Ordering two ice cold beers, one for her and one for Daryl, she shoved her wallet back into her bag and gripped the necks of the beer bottles tightly. Harli turned around and slipped her small frame in-between a couple large bikers, gasping a deep breath as she left the ridiculously crowded bar. Spotting Daryl leaning on the brick wall of the bar, she made her way towards him and his head flicked up when he saw her hand offering a beer.

"Thanks. So, Russ tells be you never been here before?"

Daryl asked curiously and tipped the rim of the bottle to his chapped lips, swigging the cold alcohol into his awaiting mouth. Harli tapped her finger on her bottle nervously around the crowded streets as they walked towards the beach line of the lake. Harli smiled and looked over at him, shaking her head,

"No… I used to live in Lovejoy, you know, south of Atlanta? I left for college and then dad moved here to start his business. I've never visited him around this time though and I never really knew about it until he told me about it a few weeks ago. But it's nice here… I really like it." She reassured and Daryl stepped over the curb of the street, his boot finding refuge in the grass. Harli did the same and followed by his side,

"Yeah, one of the happier times round these parts."

"The people seem nice."

"We have our patrons and we have our pricks. Gotta be careful which one you talk to most of the time. I've had my fair share." Harli laughed at him and took the first drink of her beer, thinking back to her conversation with Meredith.

"Yeah, Red told me about some of your bar fight experiences. I better be careful around you." She joked and Daryl stared over at her with narrowed eyes. He was a bit confused; she was so much easy to talk to than most girls.

"How come Russ never talked bout you before? I ain't ever heard of you till that day I busted through that shop door."

"Let's just say me and my dad didn't exactly part ways on the best of terms."

"Why's that?" Daryl looked back at her.

"I'd rather not talk about it…" Harli looked down at her beer bottle disappointingly, tapping her fingers on the glass. Daryl huffed to himself and took another drink of his beer, regretting asking about her and Russ' relationship. There had to be a reason why Russ never mentioned her before and why she didn't want to talk about it. But save that conversation for another time.

"So what's this I hear about a motorcycle and roaster competition?' Harli asked and Daryl looked over at her. He cocked half a smirk and glanced out at the shimmering water under the hot rays of the sun.

"Bikers bring the biggest bikes and car jockeys brag about whose engines are bigger and better. They compete against whose engines can scream the loudest and whoever wins gets the prize of course. Funny thing is a Harley wins almost every year. I don't even know why some of 'em try."

Harli couldn't help but smile at the name of the all-too famous motorcycle. Daryl saw the smirk across her face, "Don't get too comfortable. A lot of the bikers round here have been gearin' up all year for it."

"I know. The one you found me working on the other day is actually owned by a guy who specifically wanted a custom made system to make it louder." Harli remembered when Gary first brought the bike in and asked her for the customization. She didn't think she could do it at first but after hearing him light it up earlier, she was having second thoughts about her doubts.

"You can do that?"

"Hell yes."

**.:=:.**

Daryl propped Harli next to him as they stood on the sidewalk of the street, a crowd gathering on the sidelines and readying for the rumble. Kids sat down in front of their parents and waited anxiously for the action to start; so did Harli. The day was slowly turning to dusk and the security cleared the main street as old hot rods were flooding to the front lines.

"This is the best place to stand; where all the action is." Daryl glanced down at her with his arms crossed and then reached his thumb up to his lip, beginning to chew on his fingernail. Harli clasped her hands together behind her back and watched as the cars flooded in.

"Merle's not gonna come watch it with you?" Harli looked over at Daryl and he shook his head,

"Probably off chasin' around some poor girl. He don't come here for the cars." Daryl said blandly and Harli pouted, thinking of where her father might be. Russ had left with Merle to go drink and do whatever drugs were in that bottle and he most likely was still roaming the town with the older Dixon.

"_Hello everyone! How's ya'll likin' the festival so far!?"_ The DJ announced from a rigged up stage behind Harli and Daryl, making Harli glance over her shoulder. A loud uproar from the crowd bellowed through Harli's ears,

"_Alright… I'm proud to announce that the Screamer Competition has begun! Whoever gets the loudest crowd reaction wins!"_ The DJ slapped down his hand on the soundboard and turned on a heavy rock song. Everyone's eyes immediately shifted to the street in front of them and the first car that came to a stop in front of Daryl and Harli was a bright yellow 1933 Ford Coupe open-engine.

It growled for a few moments, the crowd falling silent in wait on what the driver was doing. The driver revved the engine a coupel times to get the onlookers ready, and then out of nowhere, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. The engine roared louder than a gunshot and Harli's bones rattled when the loud cries rang through her ears. Flames burst from tailpipes and black smoke curled up into the air, making people shout with admiration. Harli could feel the heat from the flames and took a small step back. Daryl looked down at her to make sure she was alright and she quickly reassured him with a smile.

"_Give it up for Rocky Garland's Ford Coupe everyone!" _ The crowd heaved with loud shouts and howls of the purring vehicle as it rolled forward to introduce the next car. This time, an old electric blue 69 Chevy Impala rolled up to the starting line, everyone lying in wait.

Cars, one after another, rolled up to the front lines and tested their screaming strengths against one another. Harli was happy; Daryl chose the perfect spot to witness the steel gladiators face off. She could tell he stood there for years on end, admiring the perfect machines almost as much as Harli did. But she pouted at the thought that he most likely stood by himself during the Screamer Competition of past years. He didn't seem like the type of man his brother was: a nasty mouthed druggie, womanizing biker. But she didn't lose her guard completely around him; she did only know him for about a week now.

Next up: the motorcycles. Harli's muscles tightened as she heard them all roaring to the spotlight and the steel stallions jumped forward. The pit of Harli's stomach began to twist in her sheer excitement and she caught herself holding her breath a few times. Her foot began to tap as the first motorcycle rolled up in front of her, Harli immediately noting primitively what kind of bike it was and what engine it wore. The red steed's rider sat on it cockily with his woman sitting sensually behind him, throwing her hands up in the air happily. He put the motorcycle in neutral and gripped the accelerator tightly, revving the growling engine until it roared to life.

The crowd was hyped for the motorcycles, but not that particular one. Harli wasn't too impressed by it either and waited anxiously for the next one. This time, it was a Harley Davidson. A smile crept up on Harli's cheeks as she saw it was her client, Gary, next on board. His large black bike crept slowly to a stop and Harli couldn't help but hold her breath when he waved to the crowd and returned his hand to the accelerator. She watched the exhaust pipes shake with anticipation and suddenly, they jittered faster once Gary yanked back on the handlebar. Harli's ears clogged with the deafening sound and she watched in amusement as the children sitting on the sidelines shoved their hands against their ears for the first time.

But the bikes after Gary's didn't even come to comparing with his Harley. Not one Victory, not one Triumph, and even a few Ducati street bikers from the city had the gull to try and blow the bikers out of the water. They didn't even have a chance as the crowd didn't commend them for their efforts.

"Looks like someone's gonna be drownin' in business." Daryl looked over at Harli as the DJ announced Gary as the winner of the motorcycle half of the Screamer Competition. Harli shook her head and shrugged her shoulders,

"I don't know about that."

"Whatever. He's gonna be goin' round the other bikers braggin' bout how you're the one who rigged that system." Daryl nodded back out at Gary, who walked up to the DJ to collect his thousand-dollar prize. Harli felt a brief blush flash on her cheeks; she never did know how to take praise. With a smile, she looked over at Daryl,

"Want another beer?"

"Sure." Daryl nodded and Harli turned to look both ways before crossing the street. The actual parade would be starting at any time and she wanted to make the trip quick before getting caught in the midst of it. Daryl watched her carefully as she disappeared into the crowd outside the bar, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

Harli slipped through the crowd spilling out of the tavern and barely dodged a drunken man falling to the ground. His friends quickly tried to retrieve him and Harli detoured around him to the crowded bar in which the bartender stood behind. Harli quickly ordered two beers and patiently waited as the bartender pulled them out from under the bar, snapping open the tops. Harli threw him money and a tip, whipping around along with her dress towards the double door exit. As night was slowly consuming the blue sky, more and more people were flooding into the bar to have a good time with family and friends. Finally making it outside, she didn't make it far.

Harli sudden felt a heavy weight slam into her and one of the bottles of beer in her hands slipped from her fingers and spilt off over her face and chest. She gasped as the bottle crashed against the concrete, yet slightly relieved when it didn't shatter. Like a bleeding cut, whatever beer that was left in the body trickled from the rim and traveled across the concrete. The coldness of the beer on Harli's face and chest made her shiver a couple times and she looked up, seeing an incredibly tall biker standing over her. To her dismay, he was drunk.

"Hey there little lady? You better watch where you're goin'! You got beer all over my boots!"

"She's too cute to scare away; shut your mouth Jim!" Three more of his buddy's arrived and all crowded around Harli, her fingers gripping the last beer tightly in her fingers. With a nervous lump rolling down her throat, she stepped back from the tall and gruff bikers glaring her down, only to back into another.

"What's a hot little number like you doin' in the bar by yourself. If you'd like… I'll keep you busy for the rest of the night." He winked at her and Harli's stomach began to twist. It didn't work for Merle and it definitely wasn't going to work for this man.

"No thank you… I have someone waiting for me."

"Whoever it is, I'm sure they can share!" Another laughed and reached for her shoulder but she quickly dipped back to avoid his grimy fingers. The man behind her gripped her shoulders tight and she almost jumped out of her skin.

Daryl's brows furrowed when he noticed that Harli had not yet come back. It had been all of ten minutes and his eyes scanned the crowd across the street for her. A flash of yellow caught his eye just outside of the bar and as people moved and passed by, he saw four big bikers surrounding her small figure. He huffed and quickly moved across the street, avoiding people back and forth as they readied for the parade. Shoving through a crowd of drunken individuals, he ignored the profanities being thrown at him and moved through the sidewalk like a bulldozer; keeping his eye locked on whatever piece of sundress he could see.

Daryl's hands slammed on the shoulders of two of the bikers and yanked them back like two doors. He snatched Harli by the arm faster than she could think and pulled her behind him. A couple of the bikers were taller than he was and the other two he yanked back were just about his height. But Daryl wasn't intimidated in the slightest; go big or go home.

"Better back the hell up before ya'll have a problem!" Daryl shouted angrily and glared at the tall bikers. Jim, the one that bumped into Harli, stood tall and hovered over Daryl,

"You want me to rip that tongue outta your mouth, boy?"

"Go ahead and try it; you'll be eatin' your teeth like candy." Daryl stared up at him challengingly and the biker readied to lift his hand but his friend quickly grabbed it,

"Hey, hey, hey! You know who that boy is right there!?" Another came out of nowhere and brushed through his friends, pressing them away from Daryl. The man looked back at Daryl with a nod,

"My apologies for these stupid monkeys, Daryl." Daryl quickly took notice to the familiar face in front of him. The man turned back around to face the rest of the bikers,

"This here is Daryl Dixon boys!? Ya'll gotta death wish or somethin'?"

"Dixon? Merle's little brother?" Jim asked and narrowed his eyes at Daryl once his blue eyes flickered up to him. Once Jim noticed the familiar face of Daryl through his drunken eyes,

"Oh Daryl boy!? Didn't realize I was pickin' on your girl…"

Harli watched from behind Daryl's tense back, surprised that none of these bikers intimidated him in the slightest. She tried to wipe whatever beer she could off her face while Daryl handled the situation at hand.

"Ya'll better find somethin' better to do than pick on innocent girls. Go get shitfaced drunk and pass out in the bushes somewhere." Daryl glared at the men and stepped back. The bikers watched him carefully just in case he decided to throw a heavy fist there way. The biker that intervened put his hand up in front of him and shook his head,

"She's off limits boys."

Daryl turned around to face Harli and she stared up at him meekly, her hair dampened from the beer soaked on her skin. She read his eyes quickly and turned around to lead him from the situation before he decided to turn it ugly. Daryl had no problem taking five-on-one, even if he got his ass handed to him. He just wanted to prove a point.

"Shouldn't be goin' round here by yourself, especially with all these drunken assholes." Daryl growled over at her, angrier with himself that he didn't tag along. He respected woman, unlike a lot of the men around this town, and didn't take it lightly when men gang up and haggle them. Harli didn't deserve it.

Harli stopped and he almost bumped into her, looking at her vibrant green eyes and ignoring the parade that already started. Harli couldn't help but smile to lighten his mood and lifted the beer that still gripped tightly in her hand. She completely ignored the irate look on his face,

"I got you a beer."


	4. Chapter 4

Harli crouched down in a lunge on her back porch, her feet secured with a plush mat under her feet. Bringing her hands together in front of her chest, her lungs inhaled deeply and let the heavy breath out slowly. Harli brought her hands down and straightened out with her chest glaring at the ground in a push-up position. Closing her eyes, she shoved her feet upwards in one swift and balanced vertical motion, holding herself up in a handstand. As she held herself as still as she could for a few seconds, her arms began to shake and she finally released her muscles back to a position on her hands and knees.

She couldn't ask for anything more relaxing than yoga on a Sunday morning.

Harli sat down on her knees and looked over to see Nacho lying on the back porch with her, basking in the rising sunlight. He was doing his own yoga: being a fat jelly bean and rolling around to try and clean himself. Harli rolled her eyes and shook her head, standing to her feet and leaning back. Her fingers gracefully pressed against the ground as she bent over backwards, stretching her stomach and back. A soft tingle scraped across her shoulders and she tilted her head to see Nacho standing under her with his tail whipping back and forth against her back. With a groan of discontent, she broke her pose and sat back down onto her mat. Nacho sat and stared back up at her with a small cat smile, Harli not being able to ignore his charming eyes. She patted and rubbed his head; his eyes closing with satisfaction at her touch.

She rolled her mat up and walked back through her large slider door with it tucked under her arm. Shutting the door behind Nacho, who was hot on her heels, she placed the mat in the corner of her kitchen. Harli heard Gumbo give an angry _squawk _towards her for not letting him out of his cage; but Harli ignored him and retrieved his breakfast.

After taking care of her two furry and feathery children, Harli tended to herself and took to her bedroom. She slipped on a pair of old, holey, ragged jeans with a black tank top and camisole over her bra. Her hands quickly tossed up her tangled hair in a ponytail, not wanting to deal with her chocolate locks. She sat at the edge of her bed and retrieved her old cowboy boots. As they slid on her feet easily, she pulled together a bag and some extra clothing for the full day ahead of her. Tossing the strap over her shoulder and grabbing her bag off the kitchen counter, she locked her house behind her and made a straight line towards her car.

The old Camaro rumbled to life and Harli pulled out of her driveway in the direction she was going.

About a half an hour passed and the views of the small town faded behind her as she ascended into the countryside. She passed numerous plantation houses of the old Georgian rural landscape and took in their beauty. Eventually, the tires of her battered Camaro found sanction from the hot concrete as it rolled onto a dirt road. Swirls of disturbed dust rolled up behind the car as it skittered over large potholes and missed pedestrian snakes that crossed the road. Fields surrounded her on all sides and broken cattle fencing crept out from among the tall grass standing proudly on the sidelines. The tree-line that cradled the large fields welcomed Harli as she pulled into a long graveled driveway. The car slowed its pace once reaching their destination and Harli passed the two story plantation house as quietly as the Camaro allowed.

Harli finally allowed the old car to come to a stop and shut off its engine, opening the door and stepping out. She looked over her shoulder at her father's house, spotting his truck parked lazily by the back porch. Sighing with discontent, Harli leaned in a grabbed her bags while thinking that her father had driven home drunk and most likely high from whatever drugs he had taken. She shook her head at the thought and pouted, slamming the door and walking towards the shaggy barn she parked in front of.

Harli pulled open the door and dropped her bags on a dusty table, taking in the musky scent of the horses standing lazily in their stalls. The two large, hoofed beasts that lived in the barn stuck their heads through an opening in the stall wall and perked their ears at her sight. Harli stopped in front of the young buckskin-colored gelding and took his face in her hands, planting a quick kiss on his nose.

"How you doin' today, Twister?" She mumbled and rubbed her hand up the length of his snout, stopping and scratching his forehead. He shoved his nose forward and nudged her chest, Harli smiling and grabbing his halter hanging on the stall door. Twister knew he was being taken out and waited patiently and Harli rolled the stall door open, placing the halter loosely on his face to lead him out. He didn't need for her to pull on the lead rope and only followed her instinctually; stopping once Harli came to a halt. She tied his head next to the tack room and heard a small whinny come from Sweet Pea, Twister's mother.

Sweet Pea was Harli's mother's old horse and Twister was Harli's. It was a surprise that Russ had still kept them over the years and hadn't sold the horses for money. But Harli was happy he didn't; she helped raise Twister from a foal and Sweet Pea was a good memory of her mother. But Sweet Pea was too old to be ridden and was kept more as a pasture horse.

Harli brushed over his soft, cream colored coat and through his deep black mane and tail with various brushes to rid of dust and dirt. She checked his hooves to make sure no rocks hid themselves in the depths of his foot that could cause him pain during their leisurely ride. Once he checked out, Harli retreated into the tack room and yanked the dusty cover off her old western saddle. She braced it loosely on her arms and walked out, throwing the riding pad on first, and then, the heavy saddle. Harli tightened the saddle strap and fixated it comfortably behind the joints of his front legs. Then came the bridal and martingale. Harli made sure the martingale fitted tightly, but not too tight, on his chest and moved to his face. Twister opened his mouth and received the cold steel of the bit into his mouth and chewed for a better position as Harli lifted the bridal up over his ears. Once the bridal situated firmly on his face, she rechecked the saddle strap around his belly, tightening it even more from the annoying bloat that had disappeared in his belly. She tossed the long reins over his head and rested them on the horn of the saddle, pulling him forward towards the barn doors and stopping at the dusty table. Harli quickly rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a thick set of black Ray glasses, placing them on her face to shield her sensitive eyes from the glaring sun.

Twister followed her out of the barn next to the large pasture, Sweet Pea running out of her stall to give him a brief farewell. With a discontent whinny, she breathed it through her nose and tossed her head about, letting Harli know it wasn't okay to take her son away from her. Harli patted her face and scratched her nose softly reassuringly, "He may be _your_ son, but he's _my_ horse."

Harli pulled Twister away from the fence and plugged her cowboy boot into one of the stirrups, grabbing the horn with one hand and back of the saddle seat with her other. With a quick heave of her strong leg, she tossed her leg over the saddle and instinctively rested her other boot in the stirrup. Getting a feel for the saddle for the first time in ages, she situated herself comfortably and grabbed the each rein in both of her hands.

Quickly, her years of experience slowly began to crawl back to her.

"Alright Twist… go easy on me today it's been like two years…" Her tongue smacked against the roof of her mouth in a couple clicks and she softly booted his sides, bracing herself for him to jolt forward and take off. But surprisingly, he pushed off his feet slowly and walked forward calmly for Harli. She felt her body sync with his movements and flow smoothly on top of his back. Once Twister's legs brushed off the fatigue after the couple past years of standing around, he popped into a soft trot and followed an old four wheeler path into the tree line.

The tall maple and birch trees all around her blocked her tan skin from the harsh sunlight above. Every few feet the sun managed to break through the synthesized leaves and tree branches, leaving a smearing glow of yellow across the grass. A soft, warm wind startled the trees in a wave and Harli's bangs tickled the cheeks among her face. She felt the weight of her ponytail tugging back on her head with each surge of the breeze.

It was so nice being out and about in the countryside on her trusty steed. She forgot all her stresses, all her work, and all the bullshit she had to deal with in the real world. But nothing could take her mind off of the fun she had at the car festival the day before. Harli was so happy to see Meredith; her partner in crime she spent most of her teen-hood with. But she felt that spending most of her day with Daryl really was something she wished could just go on and on for hours on end, late into the night and early morning. She had so much in common with him by what she knew about him so far. Harli had heard many stories of the Dixon brothers and their shenanigans in the duration of her residence: how harsh Daryl was, how many fights he's been in, and how much of a drinker he was. But she didn't see any of that. Of course he got a bit rough with the bikers that pestered her outside the bar; Harli kept wondering why it bothered him so much; but he did seem a bit irritated by men that picked on girls. Especially Merle.

Harli's head was suddenly brought back to reality when her heart almost leapt out of her chest. Twister jumped from being startled and he froze in his tracks, ears straight forward as a rush of leaves crunched under an animal's feet. Harli took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her green eyes following the auburn-colored coat of a deer running for its life. With a soft, reassuring kick of Harli's boot, Twister muscled the strength to step forward and continue their journey.

The duo broke through the trees into a large, grassy field and Twister tossed his head with anticipation. Harli knew what he wanted and Harli wanted it too. It had been so long since being on Twister's back and her hands began to shake as she gripped tightly onto his reigns. With a deep breath, Harli leaned forward and brushed her hands against the back of his neck. Adrenaline began to pump through her heart and throb against her sternum. She pursed her lips and smooched them together; landing two a hard kicks from each foot against his ribs.

Twister lunged forward and pumped his legs as fast as they would let him. In a dead run, his head propelled forward each time his front legs jumped off the ground. His large nostrils flared and his long black tail snapped up with the rush of air violently passing them by. Harli leaned forward in the saddle to give him more leverage. It was scary running him so fast, but at the same time, it was exhilarating. One of his feet could easily slide into a hole and the two could go down hard against the ground. But they were willing to take that chance in that moment of freedom. Harli had never ridden a faster horse before and at some times she swore they were flying. There was a reason she name him Twister.

Yanking back on the reigns, Twister gradually came to a fast walk and he chomped at the bit, wanting to go at it again. Harli patted his neck and scratched against his fur with a smile, her hands still shaking from the adrenaline. With a deep breath, she let it out slowly and closed her eyes briefly, feeling Twister's eagerness under the saddle.

**.:=:.**

"Don't understand why you gotta drag me outta bed this early Daryl. I was sleepin' snug like a bug in that waitresses sweet melons; coulda at least let me get lucky one last time before we left the house." Merle rubbed his hand across his forehead while leaning on the doorframe of Daryl's baby blue Ford. Daryl scoffed and looked over at him, "Russ said he wanted us over at the house round noon. Here it is, half past noon so don't give me none of that shit."

Daryl shook his head and rested an elbow on the window frame of the driver's door; his short brown hair flicking about with the hot wind that got sucked into the cab. He chewed on his thumbnail and saw the plantation house in the distance being embraced by a large crop of trees. His truck rocked back and forth as the tires sunk into the potholes littering the road.

"You sure have been hangin' round that fine piece of ass from Russ' shop a lot lately. Surprised you haven't tried to get in her pants yet… but then again, she probably wasn't drunk enough for you."

"Ain't like that." Daryl growled and continued to stare through his windshield, now balling his fist against his lips. He gritted his teeth below his cheeks and could hear the smile in Merle's voice,

"Gotta watch out for the quiet ones, little brother. They can be crazy and I bet you a million bucks she's a sadistic little bitch in the bedroom. Better let me take the reins on her; I'll be able to handle her." Daryl looked over at Merle doubtfully,

"She's just gonna shoot you down like when she was at the shop a few days ago. Ain't got one fuckin' chance." Daryl returned his eyes to the road and Merle looked over at his little brother, narrowing his eyes.

"Watch me. I'll put on the old Dixon charm… she'll be ridin' me like a champ in no time." Daryl only shook his head at Merle's disrespect for the opposite sex and his persistence with getting women to sleep with him; especially when he sets his sights on one in particular he _really_ wants. He treated women like they were trophies.

Daryl swung his hand around on the wheel of the truck and pulled into Russ' long driveway. He leaned forward in the seat when he spotted a familiar black Camaro parked out in front of the barn. Pulling to a stop next to the house, Merle was the first to step out of the truck and take in the hot sun's rays with a long stretch of his arms and back. Daryl opened the driver's seat and stepped out as well, tossing the strap to his crossbow over his shoulder. As Daryl followed Merle up onto the large back porch and into the house, he stole a second glance at the barn, searching for Harli's familiar face.

"Bout time you boys showed up… was just gettin' ready to call you."

"Long night brother. Hope you understand." Merle smiled and took Russ's hand in his, bringing Russ in for a quick hug and then stepping back. Russ turned to Daryl and nodded at him,

"See you brought your crossbow with you, good." Russ and Daryl's hands latched onto one another and the two gave each other a quick hug. Daryl nodded his head,

"How you feelin' Russ? You got fuckin' slammed last night." Daryl watched as Russ groaned and rolled his fingers through his short black hair,

"Not feelin' too bad. Probably look like shit though, can't sleep for a penny anymore." Russ dropped his hand and turned around, opening the fridge and pulling out a couple beers. He handed them to the two Dixon's each taking one in their hand and popping open the sealed caps with ease. As Daryl took a drink of his, Merle looked out the kitchen window at Harli's Camaro.

"So where's your little girl?" Merle looked back to Russ and watched his eyes shift past the window.

"Dunno… woke up and her car was here. Haven't seen her or the horse so she probably took 'em on a ride. I wasn't expectin' her to come over today but good here she can cook for us!" Russ smiled and rubbed his hands together. With a sigh, Russ looked back out the window, "Got a call from Clayton a few minutes ago before ya'll showed up. He's gonna be showin' up here soon; I think he and Harli haven't seen each other in over a year. Hopefully she'll be excited."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at Russ and Merle smiled, "Well it's about damn time. Been missin' that boy; I still gotta kick his ass for stealin' a girl I was workin' on at his goin' away party."

"What about the boys? Anyone else gonna be here?" Daryl's raspy voice asked and Russ's blue eyes glanced over at him,

"Buck, Chris, and Marty'll be here around two… what about Mitch? Bobby Joe?"

"Mitch might be here later. He's got some business to tend to so he wasn't sure." Merle took a swig of his beer and Daryl shook his head,

"Bobby Joe ain't answerin' his phone. I dunno what the hell that kids doin'."

"Well ain't no skin off my bones." Russ moved through the Dixon's and out the back door, staring out at the barn briefly before turning his attention to the large burn pit out in the yard. Hearing Daryl and Merle following after him, he turned around to face them, "I suppose we should get everything situated out there."

"I'll take to huntin'."

Daryl swung his leg over the boundary of the porch and landed solidly in the grass.

**.:=:.**

Harli bounced on Twister's back as he trotted down the path towards the barn. He was excited to get back and both he and Harli could hear Sweet Pea's frantic cries echoing through the trees. It only made Twister's legs move into a faster trot as he saw the barn come into view. He broke from the trees and Harli narrowed her eyes when she saw movement by the large burn pit behind the house. Slowly, her head figured out the individuals as both Merle and her father as she pulled Twister to a stop in front of the barn. Swinging a leg over the saddle, her boots landed heavily on dirt below her and made her knees buckle. Her legs became weak from resting lazily in the stirrups for almost three hours on end.

Harli pulled Twister into the barn with her, her legs slowly acclimating back to being used. She pulled off his bridal and he chewed on the air in relief from the hard bit that had been in his mouth. Lacing his black halter back on his face, she tied him up and began to rid his body of all the heavy riding gear. She quickly wiped the sweat off her forehead and huffed, her throat thirsty for water. As Harli pulled the saddle and saddle pad off Twister's back, she saw his fur muddled together in sweaty patterns. She quickly retreated into the tack room and placed the saddle on its proper rack, as well as the bridal and martingale she stripped off him.

Harli rubbed her hand on Twister's neck and his lips twiddled happily once he felt her fingers scratch an itchy spot. She smiled and rubbed his nose, unlatching his halter and pulling him towards his stall. Sweet Pea stood in her stall anxiously and watched her son return to his area. Harli pulled off his halter and he shook his head, smelling the ground as he walked out into his pasture. Harli turned around and pulled his stall door shut, latching it securely and placing his halter on the hook of Twister's door.

"Been wonderin' where you were at."

Harli froze at the sound of an oddly familiar voice and turned around to face its owner. Her eyes narrowed and she tilted her head, "Clayton?"

"The one and only." A halfcocked smile rose on his cheeks and he walked towards her, closing the gap in between them. Harli rose her eyebrows as she took in his full, taller figure,

"Is that really you? You look so… different."

Harli looked over the black wife beater on his thick chest and the shaggy blue jeans on his legs. He had cropped black hair that ended just above his ears and a pair of blue eyes that matched to color of the Caribbean Sea. His teeth glowed brightly as his lips drew into a full smile that time,

"Been about a year or so since you last saw me. I was just a scrawny little runt then…"

He dipped down and rammed his shoulder into her stomach, wrapping his arms around his legs and lifting her up. Harli was caught off guard as she was thrown over his shoulder, "Put me down, Clay!"

She shoved her hands against his back and tried to push back up, but the way she hung off his shoulder like an animal pelt disabled her from doing so. Harli whipped her head around his broad arm and saw him carrying her towards the house. She growled in her throat and sighed, waiting for her swaying body to come to a stop once he did.

"Finally found Harli!" Clay called, Russ and Merle stopping what they were doing to see Clayton's lucky catch. The two older men smiled,

"Well lookey here… seems to me you brought me a little present!" Merle wiped his hands on his pants with a toothy grin and Russ quickly shot him a look,

"Watch yourself asshole."

Merle returned his gaze with a smug smile and Clayton flipped Harli forward, gripping her tight as he safely set her on the ground. Harli brushed her bangs from her face and gritted her teeth, smacking Clayton's shoulder and shoving him back with her hands. "How many times have I told you not to manhandle me like that!?"

"Hot damn… the cat has claws!" Merle smiled at her feistiness and Clayton only smiled, putting his hands up in front of him.

"Be nice to your brother. He just got here and I'd like to have a little time to spend with him before you run him off _again_." Russ glared over at his daughter and Harli's eyes softened. She nodded and her voice became quiet.

"Yes sir…"

"Easy on her, dad. I just got here and I'd like to see my sister before you run her off." Clayton crossed his arms and mimicked Russ with his own glare. Russ only rolled his eyes and turned around,

"Whatever. I gotta get this shit done before everyone gets here." Russ pulled at Merle's shoulder and Merle threw Harli a glance before turning around to finish their work. Harli huffed and walked towards the back porch, taking to the steps and slamming the back door shut. She ran a dirty hand through her hair and turned on the running water to the sink. With a hand full of soap, she scrubbed her hands and all the way up to her elbows, watching the brown dirt running off to disappear into the depths of the sink. She heard the door open and shut softly behind her, but she kept her eyes on the scrubbing of her skin.

"You're not gonna leave now are you?" Clayton's deep voice raided her ears and she sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know. Whatever "party" he's having I sure as hell wasn't invited." Her voice held irritation as she rinsed her hands and shut off the water. Clayton leaned forward on the counter,

"Well he said he woke up and saw your car here so he didn't really need to call you. Guess it was more of a last minute thing." Clayton wanted to defend both his father and his sister, "Dad's just a dick; can't really win with him. You should know that more than anyone."

Harli wiped her hands on a towel hanging from the kitchen oven and her green eyes glanced over at him. Her face was less than happy, "Yeah well when he cherishes his son more than his daughter it's not something I can really ignore."

"Oh come on… you're his first kid." Clayton said doubtfully and Harli wasn't so easily swayed,

"That doesn't matter."

"It shouldn't matter either way. You came here for a reason, right?" Clayton asked while popping a couple chips in his mouth from a bystander bag. Harli rested her hands on the counter,

"Yeah. To make dad money because he's too damn lazy to run his own shop." Harli's irritations began to boil under her skin and Clayton sighed, crunching the chips in between his teeth. He smacked his hand down on the table and stood upright,

"Well, I don't want you to feel like you don't belong here. You're my big sister and I want you to stay so I can spend some time with you." Clayton's bright blue eyes bore into Harli and she found herself mesmerized by them. She hated how much he resembled a younger image of their father,

"I won't leave. But if dad starts being an asshole; I'm not holding my tongue."

"I don't expect you to." Clayton laughed with a hearty smile and turned around to leave the room. Harli tilted her head,

"Why exactly is dad inviting people over for anyways?" Clayton whirled around on his heel to face her, his lips pursed. He glanced over his shoulder momentarily and then looked back at Harli,

"I think he just invited some friends over to hang out for a while. He's puttin' out some benches and fixin' the burn pile right now. Daryl's out huntin' I guess and Merle's gonna make some homemade jambalaya."

"Daryl's here, too?" Harli asked curiously and Clayton gave a subtle nod. Harli looked out the window unconsciously as if to look for any sign of him. Clayton's face struck recognition,

"Oh yeah… and for my homecoming I was wondering if you would make me your homemade peach cobbler?" Harli looked back at him with surprise in her eyes at his request. Clayton couldn't help but smile childishly, "I've actually been looking forward to it for a long time."

"I don't really have the ingredients to do that…" Harli rubbed the back of her neck uncertainly and she heard Clayton laugh to himself embarrassingly.

"I thought you might say that so I kinda went and got you what you would need." He pointed behind her and Harli looked over her shoulder to see a few brown grocery bags sitting on the counter. She couldn't help but smile,

"Well… I guess I'm caught in the hole."

"Good. I even thought about that damn cobbler while I was gettin' it on with a hot Brazilian girl." Harli scoffed and scrunched her nose,

"Seriously didn't need that much information…" She couldn't help but laugh at her childish brother and he finally managed to make it to the door,

"I'm gonna go help dad. You have fun with your kitchen business like a proper woman should!"

"Haha very funny!" Harli shouted at his sexist joke and threw an apple at him. He managed to make it through the door just as the projectile fruit slammed against his back. Harli snickered to herself upon hearing a shout of pain after he shut the door and turned around to face the cobbler ingredients.

She grabbed a large, deep bottom pan and picked out four large ripe peaches from the bag. Grabbing a knife and cutting board, she expertly weaved in and out of the peaches into thick slices. Once all the peaches were extinguished into the pot she grabbed a large box of white cake mix, sprinkling it evenly over the top of the peaches. As she tossed the cake mix box into the trash, she whipped back around and rammed her hand into another one of the paper bags. Her fingers latched onto the plastic mesh that held a six pack of cream soda together and set it down on the table. Snapping open the top of the soda, she poured two cans of the creamy liquid into the pot and over the white cake mix.

Harli carefully placed the pan into the oven and the door slammed shut by the force of her knee. She tossed the old oven mitts on the counter and looked out towards the bonfire pit, seeing that Marty, Mitch, and Chris all circled around it while talking to Russ. A few women crowded around the men as well and they exchanged quick hugs with each other. Merle grabbed one older blonde and whirled her around in his arm, landing a kiss on her lips and letting her go. She smiled and laughed, smacking his arm playfully and taking a beer from Russ as he offered her one. Russ stopped and looked at Marty, who pointed at Clayton, and Russ immediately threw his arm around Clayton's neck with a bright smile, rubbing his son's equally black hair. Harli pouted and lowered her eyes; the only way Russ ever seemed happy about her presence was when he was drunk or high.

Clayton was Harli's illegitimate half-brother of twenty years. Russ had gone behind Harli's mothers back and had an affair with a woman when Harli was only five years of age. It wasn't until he was born did Harli's mother find out about the affair. Russ was lucky that his wife was so willing to forgive him. Russ gained partial custody of Clayton when he was younger, and eventually, Clayton spent most of the summers with Russ and Harli. Even though Clayton wasn't her mother's son, she still treated him like he was her own. Harli, of course, didn't like the idea that her younger brother was an illegitimate creation with a woman other than her mother. But she learned to deal with it as Clayton often looked up to her and loved her like she was a full blood family member. He didn't know any better; he was only a child. It wasn't fair for Harli to neglect her sisterly duties.

But Harli was the one who soon became neglected. Russ cherished Clayton more because he was his _son_.

Heat suddenly rushed up Harli's legs and she realized she was still wearing the tattered jeans she had gone riding in. The cobbler would take at least a half an hour to bake, so her leaving the house wouldn't hurt it in the slightest. She stepped outside into the heat and strode straight down the stairs of the back porch towards the barn. As she passed by, she heard laughs and cackles erupting from the mouths of the group perched around the bonfire pit. The trees and house casted a long, large shadow over the small fire that burned, rendering it from burning too hot and scaring away its spectators.

Harli stepped through the barn door and grabbed her bag full of extra clothing, as well as her purse. She didn't have the time to grab them before Clayton decided to throw her over his shoulder like a dead deer and haul her off. She jumped into the tack room quickly and yanked off her boots and pants, tossing them on the table and grabbing a pair of black shorts. She pulled them up her legs and buttoned them quickly in fear that Clayton might come bursting through the tack room door in order to expose her whereabouts. After her head washed over with blissful relief once she was fully clothed, she shoved her feet back into her boots and grabbed her belongings. Once closing the barn door tightly behind her, she tossed her bags back into the boiling hot interior of her rusty black Camaro.

"Bout time you showed up boy! Was about to come look for your sorry ass!"

Harli turned upon hearing Merle shout and her eyes found what she had been searching for since her return. Daryl strode up from the tree line towards him, holding up a line of numerous dead squirrels triumphantly. The group held up their beers in the air and cheered with his hunting catch as he tossed them to the ground beside everyone. Harli's eyes stared at the crossbow hooked over his shoulder and the neon colored fletching of the bolts resting in the bow-side quiver. It was odd to her; she had never seen a crossbow up close before.

"Harli!"

Her attention was soon caught by her father's rough voice and she found his deep blue eyes staring at her, as well as everyone else's. Meekly, her boots stepped forward towards them and she stopped a few feet away. Russ motioned his hand towards the house with the beer in his hand, "Why dontcha go fetch Daryl a nice big pot so he can get started cleanin' out those vermin?"

Annoyingly, she rolled her eyes and turned back towards the house. Instead of arguing, and most likely failing with her father, it was just easier to obey his command. After slamming the door behind her, once again, Harli took to the cupboards and tossed numerous pieces of kitchenware all over the place. She didn't care at that point in time. Her hands finally found a large pot and she yanked it out, the loud clangs of other pots protesting against her as she stole one of their friends to be used. Her boot slammed against the cupboard and knocked the hard wooden door shut.

Daryl sat on a bench with a log situated in front of him; a deceased squirrel laying motionlessly on the sawed off log. Bracing his knife tightly in his grip, he sliced open the small belly of coarse fur and stabbed the knife into the wood. His fingers yanked out whatever guts were in his way and he tossed them in the fire. The fire cackled with gratitude at Daryl's sacrifice and gladly began to singe the entrails tissue that once was squirrel. Daryl kept his eyes on beginning to skin the squirrel once the guts had been terminated and listened to the conversation unfold in front of him.

"So finished boot camp there, squirt? Never thought you had it in ya! I barely recognize you!" Marty, Russ's best shop hand, expressed delightfully while taking in Clayton's changed appearance."

"Yeah. My own sister didn't recognize me either. You should've seen her face!" Clayton laughed and the sound of the word _sister_ made Daryl look up at him briefly. It was still unbelievable that he was related to Harli somehow. He was a firecracker and Harli was as calm a woman he'd ever seen in quite a long time. But then again, Clayton acted a lot like Russ. He just wasn't as honoree.

"Yeah well I'm still lookin' at kickin' your ass there, Clay. No amount of trainin' with those pussy Marines can prepare you for a fight with a Dixon! It'll be like Vietnam all over again!" Merle stared over at Clayton cockily and Clayton only smiled to himself,

"Bring it on _old man_… your dog days have just about come to a sad end." Clayton stepped towards him challengingly and Daryl smirked, shaking his head at the boy's cockiness. Merle took a step towards him as well,

"Best mind your tone there or you're gonna be lookin' for your teeth like they was Easter eggs." Merle threatened and Clayton's smile only became bigger. Merle looked down at Daryl, "Hey Daryl, you should teach this little pussy a lesson!"

"Why you gotta drag me into everything? You're the one antagonizin' him, so why don't you do it?" Daryl looked up at his older brother briefly and Clayton crossed his arms,

"Merle Dixon is all bark and no bite."

"You askin' for it, boy." Daryl laughed to himself at Clayton's antagonizing of Merle. Merle only laughed,

"You're gonna make me feel bad for beatin' up a kid!"

"Wouldn't be the first time…" Daryl mumbled to himself as he picked apart the little meaty muscles of the squirrel and set them down on the log. Clayton glanced down at Daryl,

"I wouldn't touch Daryl Dixon. I know he'll beat my ass."

"Should be more afraid of Merle than me, thats for damn sure." Daryl looked into the oddly blue eyes of Clayton. Clayton broke the gaze upon seeing his sister,

"Hey Harli!? You're tough… why don't you come over and show Merle whose boss!?"

"Yeah… I don't think so." Harli said doubtfully with the large pot in her hand. Merle smiled and waved his hand towards him,

"Come on babycakes… show me a thing or two!" Harli looked over at him and shook her head,

"I don't fight."

"Now that's no fun…" Merle cooed and Harli leaned down to place the large pot next to Daryl. Harli caught his eye and the two stared for a few seconds,

"Harli used to kick the shit outta me when we were kids. I'm surprised she could tolerate a little bastard like me. She always beat up on the bullies that messed with me, too… I don't think I ever saw her go down once." Clayton talked highly of Harli, making both she and Daryl look over at him. Merle smiled and looked back at Harli admiringly,

"She is a Waldgrave, after all. Bunch of tough son' bitches with the exception of you!" Merle directed towards Clayton and the two were at each other's throats once again. The small crowd, and especially Russ, found it intriguing and hoped that a fight would break out between them in the form of heavy entertainment.

"Thanks for the pot." Harli looked back down at Daryl and watched him gut yet another squirrel. He noticed she wasn't disgusted by the sight; but then again, she was a country girl.

"No problem… but can I ask what you're doing with those squirrels?" Harli asked and Daryl threw whatever squirrel meat he decapitated into the pot.

"I ain't makin' shit. Merle's the one that's gonna cook squirrel jambalaya." Daryl peeled the skin off another squirrel and began to pluck the little muscles off the bones. Harli tilted her head,

"Never had it before." Daryl looked up at her,

"First times the charm."

"Why did you kill rabbits if Merle's making _squirrel_ jambalaya?" Harli asked curiously while eyeballing the large brown hares that lied at Daryl's boot-side. Daryl looked down at them as well,

"Ain't gonna hurt if you throw some rabbit in it. If you ask me, tastes a lot better."

Harli then found her eyes staring at the crossbow once again, taking in its features. It wasn't loaded and Harli was tempted to lay her fingers on it to run over the soft finish. Daryl looked up at her and followed her gaze to his crossbow, smirking slightly,

"What? Never seen a crossbow before?"

"Not up close and personal; no." Harli shook her head and looked back into Daryl's blue eyes. He nodded towards it,

"_Maybe_ I'll let you shoot it one of these days."

"It looks heavy." Harli glanced back at it and Daryl stood up, shaking his head,

"Nah. Maybe for a weakling."

Daryl ripped his knife from the wood and walked towards the house to rid of the blood staining his hands. Harli followed him into the house, knowing that the cobbler in the oven most likely was finished. Daryl held the door open for her upon hearing her soft footsteps behind him and she ducked under his arm. Harli grabbed the oven mitts and immediately went to the oven. The door squealed open as she sent her protected hands in to retrieve the pan filled with peachy goodness.

The invigorating scent wafted through the air and Daryl's mouth began to water after he inhaled deeply. He scrubbed his hands under hot water and doused his skin in soap, looking over his shoulder at a steaming pan of the unknown. He grabbed a hand towel and wiped his hands,

"What the hell is that?" He flicked a nod towards the pan and stared at the brown crust that toppled over the edges. Harli looked over at him,

"Oh… Clay asked me to make him some homemade stuff…"

"What kind of stuff?" Daryl poked at it with his finger and Harli lightly smacked to top of his hand. He recoiled and looked at her,

"If you want to try it just use this. It's hot as hell so I wouldn't advise it." She elevated a fork towards him and he stared at it for a moment. Swiftly, he yanked it from her hand as if it were a challenge and jabbed it through the crunchy cake topping. With a large forkful of soften peaches and crispy crust, Daryl popped the delicacy into his mouth and let out a held breath to help cool the hotness on his tongue.

The savory sweetness of the treat washed into his mouth and practically melted. Harli watched him carefully to gage his reaction and smiled when he saw the bliss forming in his eyes. Daryl had never tasted something like it before. He was tempted to grab handfuls of the steaming hot cobbled and shove them into his mouth. But his politeness got the best of him, "Holy shit…"

Daryl mumbled through his stuffed mouth and Harli couldn't help but laugh to herself, "You like it?"

"You made this?" Daryl asked doubtfully, ignoring her question. Harli gave a couple nods and Daryl stared back down at the cobbler in front of him,

"That's damn good… holy shit." He repeated and Harli laughed again, leaning on the counter,

"You can take some home if you want."

"I thought it was Clay's?" Daryl asked and Harli shrugged, shaking her head,

"He doesn't need this whole thing… he'll get fat and all his combat training will have gone to waste." She smiled and Daryl finally managed to swallow the chewed up cobbler in his mouth, already missing the taste as it hit the pit of his stomach.

"Thanks."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I was seriously waiting for you all to ban together, hunt me down, and show up at my doorstep with torches and pitch forks. I haven't forgot about this story... don't worry! It's just that TWD has been getting so good the past few weeks and I've been really focusing all my energy on FTW... it's been a lot of fun writing the new chapters for that story. AND I... kinda lost my train of thought for this story so I need to figure out what I'm gonna write in the coming chapters lol**

**Really bummed Merle got the axe in the last episode :( Poor guy... I really love the way he went out though. Sacrificing his life for the good of the group and especially Daryl. But hey! Merle won't be dying in this story :) I'll do my best to keep Merle true and fun to read! Sorry if this chapter is too short... but I swear I'll make it up to you guys! Better than nothing, eh?**

**Enjoy~**

Daryl loaded up a large stockpile of old, rusty vehicle parts into the back of Merle's old Ford F250. The hot day already took its toll on his thick skin, coursing him to start sweating. But as he looked off into the horizon of trees surrounding his and Merle's cabin, he noticed furiously black clouds rolling into town. He could already hear thunder cracking off in the distant counties, knowing that the weather forecaster was right. It was going to storm. Daryl flicked his head over his shoulder upon hearing Merle shout out loud, seeing him kicking his motorcycle with his foot. His lips moved into inaudible grumbles of profanities and Daryl shook his head, "That's what you get for fuckin' up your bike."

"Don't you start with me, boy. Definitely not in the mood for your shit right now." Merle warned and Daryl scoffed,

"Yeah well if you wouldn't have gone off and tried to impress that nasty skank yesterday-"

"Daryl!" Merle shouted with another warning tone, Daryl unfazed by his brother's aggravation. Daryl tossed his hand towards Merle angrily,

"Don't need to be an asshole when it's your fault you broke the piece of shit! Kickin' it round the shop ain't gonna do you no good; so get that stick outta your ass and use that pea-brain of yours for once!"

"Better hope your brother don't kick the shit outta you." Mitch said from under the hood of a truck he was working on. Daryl's icy gaze instantly jumped at Mitch,

"You best shut the hell up and mind your own damn business old man!"

"Don't make me knock them good teeth of yours down your throat, _boy_." Mitch stepped out from in front of the truck.

"Daryl, go fetch me the trailer so I can get this thing strapped down before the storm comes!"

"You go get it yourself! I ain't your bitch!" Daryl barked back and he could see the large blue vein in Merle's forehead beginning to pulse with rage.

"You better stop talkin' to me like that or I'll whoop your ass so bad the Old Man's gonna feel it in the grave!"

"To hell with both ya'll!" Daryl scoffed and turned around on his heel, trudging towards Merle's old truck. He tore open the rusty door and sat down on the burning hot, torn up leather seat. Daryl ignored the burning leather and shoved the clutch down to the floorboard with his foot, turning the ignition. It only angered him more as the truck failed to turn completely over. He knew it was taunting him amusingly and Daryl slammed his hand hard against the steering wheel. As if the truck had been hurt itself, he turned the key for one last time and it finally coughed to life.

"You gonna let him go like that?" Mitch asked while looking over at Merle, who watched Daryl roll away in the truck. He huffed and shook his head, looking back down at his bike,

"Nothin' I can do. Besides, all that metal needs to be taken to the yard anyways."

"Boy needs to get laid... been too long for him." Mitch looked back over the engine of the truck he was fixing and Merle couldn't help but smile. Merle's light blue Dixon eyes trailed over to Mitch,

"Why don't you take a break from that damn truck for a while and come with me? Imma take my hog down to Waldgrave's and have that sweet little cupcake daughter of his take a look at it."

**.:=:.**

Rain pelted the ground mercilessly and thunder bellowed angrily across the sky; the black clouds rolling in faster than anyone had expected. Daryl stared out at the carnage through the window of the scrapyard manager's office. The bright lightning clashed with one another under the clouds, the long streaks threatening to touch down and destroy the earth. Daryl heard shuffling behind him and the jingling door closed,

"Damn... really comin' down out there, I tell ya." The yard manager, Jess, said as he stepped behind his desk and shudder. Jess was an old friend of the Dixon brother's father; he was like an uncle to the boys. Jess tossed his jacket on the coat rack, "Seems the car festival really brings in the money, eh?"

"Yeah, and a lot of shit to work on."

"Well that all comes with the job, eh?" Jess smiled and yanked open the cash register, flipping through a stack of bills. "Get in another fight with Merle? I'm only sayin' that cuz you only seem to come round here when you're pissed off."

"Just Merle bein' Merle, what else is different?" Daryl scoffed and leaned on the counter. Jess' lips drew into a thin line and he sighed with a small shake of his head,

"Your brother is just the loveliest flower in the garden, ain't he?"

"More like the thistle." Daryl mumbled and Jess laughed under his breath,

"Your brother may be a little cock-sucker... but you can't go wrong with family." Jess handed Daryl his wad of cash, "Six hundred and thirty seven dollars for you my boy."

"For all that shit? You serious?" Daryl looked at Jess' green-blue eyes with surprise and Jess nodded,

"Yeah! Some of those parts will be scrapped and some are still in good condition to be salvaged; you made yourself a bank there, Daryl. I suggest you put about two hundred and fifty dollars away for yourself before giving it over to Merle. He'll just spend it on drugs and booze."

"I hear that. Thanks, Jess. I'll talk to you later." Daryl shoved the money into his back pocket and felt Jess' rough hand on his shoulder,

"No you won't." Jess smiled and gripped Daryl's shoulder tightly, shaking it. "You ever need anythin' kid, just let me know."

"Thanks." Daryl nodded and turned around. A rush of cold air and violent rain barreled in at him as he opened the door, Daryl squinting his eyes. The rain was so hectic that it poured harder than the shower head in his bathroom, limiting his vision through the veil of water.

With a deep breath, Daryl stepped out into the dousing barrage of cloudy tears and within seconds his entire head was soaked. Water dripped down his face, off the tip of his nose, and ran through the scruff lining his jaw and chin. He quickened to a jog towards the truck and he felt the water of the muddy puddles under his feet beginning to soak his boots. Sooner than imagined, his socks and feet were already beginning to experience dampness of the weather. Daryl jumped into the cab of the truck and shuddered under its safe roof. With a quick huff, he shifted in the leather seat and heard the annoying wet squeaking caused by his wet pants.

The old truck rolled through the muddy yard, Daryl's hand flinging along with the steering wheel as he tried to steady it. The back tires spun desperately in the grueling mud and slowly made its way out through the double-door gates. Finally, the tires gripped tightly onto concrete and the cab jolted forward, happy that it left the deep mud. It chugged away from the scrap yard and Daryl shook his head like a dog, excess water flicking against the windows. His hand scurried through his brown hair and he turned the corner of the next street, following the strip of roadway through the middle of town.

Daryl parked the timeworn scrap truck, and opened the door, noticing that the rain had calmed and only drizzled onto his head. He glared up at the big sign of the supermarket overhead and found refuge under the large canopy extending out from its doors. Heading straight for the produce section of the market, he picked out various vegetables to make for some sort of dinner. Having days old leftovers in the fridge just wasn't working for him anymore and he knew Merle was too lazy to make anything.

"Oh, this all looks very good!" The cashier, a man with a slight lisp in his voice, said as he checked out Daryl's items. Daryl narrowed his eyes and glared at the man, "What are you goin' to make?"

"None of your damn business." Daryl retorted and tossed the man a twenty dollar bill, grabbing his bags and leaving the premises. The cashier scoffed and cursed under his breath at Daryl's rudeness, watching the young Dixon strut out the doors.

Daryl wiped the back of his hand across his damp forehead with an abrupt sigh. As he walked to the truck, he quickly jumped out of the way of an oncoming car. The driver slammed on the brakes at the last second and Daryl tossed his hand up, "Why don't you watch where the hell you're goin' asshole!"

The driver quickly sped off and tore out of the parking lot in a rush. Daryl growled in his throat, wishing he could've gotten a chance to punch whoever it was in their face. He continued to the truck and pulled open the door, tossing in the bags of produce onto the passenger's seat. Daryl froze for a moment when he heard a muddled whine and looked in the back seat, trying to find the source. Another whimper rolled through the cab of the truck and his eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Where the hell is it?" He mumbled and looked under the seats, under the blankets in the back seat, and even in the center console, but still nothing.

He felt something brush up against his leg and stepped back quickly, looking down at the dark concrete to see a flash of black disappearing under his truck. Cautiously, he got down on a knee and steadied himself on the frame of the trucks door with his head bowing under the truck. He saw a small shadow sitting a few feet away from him, a pair of light grey eyes staring back at him. A mix of whimpers and useless growls met Daryl's ears and he scoffed at the little animals attempts. Reaching his hand under, he gripped whatever body part of the animal he could and a sharp cry came from its mouth as he pulled it out from under the large vehicle.

Daryl held the small, black puppy up to eye level by its scruff, narrowing his eyes at the shaking animal. He didn't see a collar on it and the puppy's fur was just as wet as his hair was. He set the small pup back down on the ground and gentle pushed it away with his boot, "Go on. Get outta here." He coursed, but the puppy only stopped and sat down, shivering from the cold Georgian air. It stared around its shoulder at him, its light grey eyes piercing through Daryl. Daryl grunted and placed a hand on his hip while running his free hand through his hair to scratch an area of his head. He was torn on what to do. The puppy was young and couldn't have been older than five or six months; leaving it would surely result in its death. But taking it home to Merle was another thing he had to consider. Merle wasn't much of a dog person, or animal person to say the least.

He stared into those puppy eyes.

Daryl groaned and leaned down, picking the small pup up from under its belly. Daryl was a bit shocked to feel the prominence of its ribs; the thing was starving to death. He jumped into the cab of the truck and moved the groceries, placing the pup down on the leather seat. As he closed the door, Daryl noticed the truck quickly filling up with the scent of the puppy's wet fur. He groaned at the smell, knowing that it would be a dead giveaway if Merle caught even one scent molecule in his nose.

As the truck made way down the street back towards Daryl's house, Daryl was slightly surprised to hear the puppy being quieter than expected. He noticed the mutt had fallen asleep, curled up in a wet ball on the seat. Daryl rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip, beginning to get a bit nervous about showing up at the house. But as he pulled into the extended driveway, leading back towards the shop, he let out a huff of relief to see both Merle's Chevy and the trailer gone. He parked the truck and stepped out, grabbing the pup by its scruff and securing its frail body under his arm.

Daryl set the groceries down on the counter of the kitchen and immediately retreated to his room. Grabbing a spare blanket from a closet in the hallway, he tossed the blanket in the corner of the bedroom. Setting the small puppy on the blanket, it lied down with a huff and rolled on its side weakly with a light whimper. Daryl took notice to a very important identifying characteristic of the pup, "Hmph... little boy, huh?" Daryl stood back up to his feet and retreated into the kitchen.

Reaching into the cupboard, he pulled out two small bowls. Daryl filled up one bowl with cold water and opened the fridge, seeing what type of leftovers occupied the cold area. He grabbed the pot of the three-day old squirrel gumbo and opened the cap, pouring some in the bowl for the puppy. He cursed to himself mentally for not getting dog food he could hide in his closet. But Merle already had the nose of a hound dog as it was and Daryl didn't want to draw too much attention. Daryl's head flicked towards his bedroom when he heard a small crash. He grabbed the bowls with his rough hands and quickly moved to his bedroom, seeing the puppy lying on his makeshift bed. Daryl narrowed his eyes, "Oh hell no mutt. I don't _even_ think so!" The puppy was chewing on the strap of Daryl's crossbow. Daryl yanked it from the pup's mouth and tossed his loyal companion onto his bed. He glared down at the pup and the mutt knew he was in trouble, lying his face down between his paws and avoiding Daryl's icy stare. Daryl put the food bowl down next to the water bowl, the pup's nose twitching in curiosity towards the food.

"That gumbo cures just about anything, even your starvin' little self." Daryl shook his head and placed his hands on his hips, "Look at me, talkin' to some damn dog."

"Oh, Darlena!?" Merle chimed through the house and Daryl's heart practically leapt out of his chest. Daryl looked down at the puppy,

"You make one peep and I'll skin you alive and eat ya'll for dinner!" He warned, but the mutt only looked back down to his food and scarfed it down. Daryl quickly moved out of his room and shut the door quietly behind him,

"What're ya'll doin'?" Merle asked curiously, eyeballing his little brother as he stepped cautiously out of his room. Daryl straightened himself quickly and shook his head,

"Nothin'."

"You gotta girl in there or somethin'? Merle smiled deviously and Daryl snorted, walking past Merle,

"Hell no." Daryl put the squirrel gumbo back in the fridge and turned around, "Where've you been?"

"Down at Waldgrave's; took my hog over to that Apple-Eyed daughter of his. Only took her a half an hour to figure out what the hell's wrong with. Smart little girl, she is."

"Oh yeah? What's wrong with it?" Daryl leaned back on the counter and crossed his arms. Merle let out a closed-lipped sigh,

"Busted a wrist-pin in a piston... gotta get all that fixed and one of my brake lines are frayed. Gonna cost me a pretty little penny."

"To ya." Daryl mused and Merle shot him a look,

"Don't get started boy. It's one thing my bike's in the shop but I don't need to be hearin' your smart mouth." Merle growled and Daryl shoved off the counter to leave out the back door. "Felicia called, by the way; askin' bout you."

"What the hell she want?" Daryl turned halfway to face Merle. A sly smile crept across Merle's cheeks and a small chuckle came from his mouth,

"You know what, Little D. Every time we bump into each other she asks about you. That girl is crazy head over heels with ya." Daryl snorted,

"Yeah, same goes with every guy down at Marty's Bar. The girl's a jezebel."

"She's one hot piece of ass. I wouldn't give that opportunity up. You need to let loose every now and then, little brother. Be a lot less ornery and indignant." Merle shifted and moved towards Daryl, turning the door knob and opening to door, "Says she's comin' back from Atlanta and'll be at Marty's on Friday night."

"Good for her."

"You won't be sayin' that when you get drunk that night, now will ya? Come on brother... have some fun. You work hard every single day; ya'll need a break." Merle said with a smile while slapping his hand down on Daryl's shoulder. Daryl sighed and stared into Merle's equally blue eyes, the clouded concern washing around in them. With a nod, Daryl's raspy voice left his lips in a mumble,

"Alright... we'll go have some fun this weekend." Merle laughed and shook his brothers shoulder, wrapping his arm around his neck and pulling him out the door,

"That's what I like to hear!"

**.:=:.**

Harli heard the pounding rain pelting the tin roof over the many annoying power tools in the enclosed space. Russ and all his shop hands had been busy with orders and Harli was working nonstop with both Merle's triumph and an old Victory that had come in at the same time. Russ insisted Harli begin working on Merle's motorcycle first and frankly, she didn't have a choice. She had argued for twenty minutes straight with her father because he wanted her to work on it for free. But Harli wasn't having any of it. She'd give Merle a discount, and with work piling up, she couldn't afford to work on it for free.

She tossed her hand through her bangs and huffed with a wad of wires clenched in her teeth. The old model of the motorcycle was proving difficult as she tried to rewire a new brake cable. The port in which the cable had to have been wired was rusted and crusted over. That meant she would have to take the entire engine apart to clean it out and replace new washers and covers. Harli tossed the wires angrily to the ground and rubbed her greasy hand over her forehead. She turned around and pulled the chain of the lift, the bike secured tightly in the lock as it rose higher and higher. As soon as the bike was waist-length with Harli, she grabbed her trusty ratchet set and began her work.

One after another, bolts dropped in Harli's greasy hand and little by little, the Triumphs engine slackened. She hooked it up to the engine lift and pulled it out halfway, staring at all the cords and wires attached to it. With a small wrench, she loosened the wires and detached them all from the engine and secured it on the last hook of the lift. Harli turned around and grabbed the chain of the engine lift, tightening it until the engine locked in. Taking a motorcycles core out was much harder than a vehicle.

As Harli pulled on the lift, the engine got caught on one of the exhaust pipes and almost pulled the bike over along with it. Harli lunged forward and relocked the bike in place, tightening the straps the kept it safe. She glared at the engine with her burning green eyes; it was just as stubborn and hard-headed as Merle himself. Her arm was just thin enough to reach through an opening on the side of the engine and she reached through, her other hand pushing up from under the core. She tried to lift and pry the engine from its place, but it wouldn't budge. Harli huffed stubbornly and took a deep breath, holding it and gripping whatever parts of the engine she could tightly. She lifted and tugged, back and forth until the engine began to loosen. With one last heave, the Triumphs engine jolted out of the frame and Harli felt a burning pain in her arm as she stumbled back.

Lifting her forearm, her hand shook uncontrollably and blood dripped off her elbow to the cracked concrete floors under her feet. The more she stared at the long cut down her forearm, the more the burning, stinging pain erupted through her body. She cursed to herself and grabbed the engine lift, pulling it along over to her work bench. Harli ignored her bloody arm and slammed an oil drip pan under the engine, grabbing the right sized wrench for the job. She could work with one hand; it was no problem to her. She unscrewed a few small bolts and popped open the oil cylinder, watching as the dark brown liquid began to funnel into the pan. Harli's arm throbbed and blood continued to drip into a small puddle next to her boot. Biting back the pain, she reached both her hands up and lowered the core down on the workbench. She moved the oil pan and her blood began to drip in along with it, swirling as the two thick liquids were having a hard time mixing together. Harli's vision tunneled and she felt sick to her stomach, holding her forehead to steady herself.

"I told you to ask if you needed help with the engine lift. Now you're bleedin' all over my damn shop!" She looked over her shoulder to see Russ staring down at all the blood on the floor. Harli growled to herself and grabbed a rag, tying it around the cut,

"It's not that bad."

"Time for you to go home. You're done for the day." Russ stared down at her and she narrowed her eyes,

"I don't need to go home. I'll be just fine." Harli protested and Russ shook his head,

"You're goin' home. Don't make me drag your ass out that door. That arms gonna do you no good with the work you gotta do on that bike." Russ nodded towards Merle's Triumph and Harli sighed with discontent. Russ flicked his head, "Go on now. Don't need you bleedin' out on my floor. Go to the hospital if you have to."

Harli turned around and stalked through the swinging double doors, holding the rag tightly against the cut on her arm to avoid any more unnecessary bleeding. She grabbed her bag out from under the desk and hooked it over her shoulder, quickening towards the back door and bursting out into the cool, stormy air. Rain assaulted her skin, hair, and clothing as she walked to her car, opening the door with her good hand. She found refuge in the old Camaro and started the engine; her wounded arm just so happened to be her dominant, right arm. So driving and shifting the stick shift all the way back to her house would prove difficult. But Harli knew her asking her father for a ride home was a waste of time.

She finally pulled into her driveway, feeling faint from the blood draining from her body. Harli half wanted to try to drive to the hospital, but it was too far and out of the way. Stubbornly, she moved into her house and tossed her bag on the couch, ignoring the squawks coming from Gumbo's cage. With a flip of the bathroom lights and squatting down under the sink, Harli pulled out a large first aid kit and set it down on the large counter space. She threw the shop rag in the laundry hamper and turned on the hot water of the sink, dipping her arm under and hissing in pain. Gritting her teeth, she rubbed her free hand softly over the wound, watching as the blood mixed with water and disappeared into the drain. Harli grabbed a dry towel and dabbed it against the cut, seeing that the wound was beginning to clot and the bleeding had died down some. With a sigh of relief, she sat down on the toilet and grabbed some gauze, medical tape, and an ace bandage to begin her work.

As she licked her wounds clean, her ears picked up her home phone ringing and she stood up quickly. She finished wrapping her arm as she moved through her living room and towards the table the phone rested on. She grabbed the phone and pulled it off the hook, silencing the ringing and bringing it to her ear,

"Hello?" Her voice said fatigued and a friendly woman voiced herself on the other line.

"_Hello, is this Harli Waldgrave?"_

"Yes, it is." Harli looked down at her arm, making sure the ace bandaged continued to stay secured on her arm.

"_Hi, this is Detective Matthews with the Fulton County Sheriff's Department. I have called to inform you that Christopher Evan's was released from prison on probation this morning at ten a.m. by the Fulton County Courthouse for good behavior. This is a mandatory call and is in no way made to scare you." _

Harli's body froze and her hand gripped the phone tightly in her hand, her lips parting in shock. A light gasp escaped her lips and she placed her free hand over her mouth. Her frantic eyes stared out the window aimlessly and everything around her seemed to disappear. The detective continued to speak on the other line,

"_Do you still reside in Altanta, Georgia?"_ Harli didn't speak and the woman's tone became slightly concerned, _"Hello? Ms. Waldgrave? Are you still there?"_

"I live... in Waleska." Harli choked out faintly, "What about my restraining order?"

"_Because you have moved and your restraining order was signed for Fulton County, you may have to contact your local police station for details on out-of-bounds protection orders. If you have any more concerns about Mr. Evans, please contact them. We currently have information that he will be living with his family just south of Atlanta and will send his information over to your local police station on your behalf."_

"Y-yes... please send them the information."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Like I said guys, I'll make it up to you for writing such a short last chapter lol and please refrain from thinking of the actor Chris Evans when you think of my character Christopher Evans xD I knew I heard that name somewhere... and in no way does he look like actor Chris Evans. **

**I will really be putting my time and energy into this story since Feeding the Wolves will be going on a 7 month hiatus Dx so consider yourselves lucky! Lol jk.**

**Enjoy and review ;)**

"_Been a long time, Dixon. Was wonderin' when you were gonna be comin' round here. I missed your company."_

_Daryl stared into Felicia's light brown eyes, her hair curled around her neck and her small hands gripping onto her cocked hip. The low light of the room bounced off the anchor piercing just a few inches from the corner of her left eye. Daryl remembered his surroundings quickly as he noticed he was in the living room of Felicia's old apartment. He sat on the dark red couch, the heat of a lamp on a small stand warming his arm as it stretched over the back of the couch._

"_Your fault you were gone so long."_

"_It was only a couple months; besides... I thought of you practically every long, lonesome night." The words on her lips rolled out sensually as she sat down on Daryl's lap, resting her hands behind his neck. Daryl was oddly comfortable with the proximity of Felicia's body so close to his. He continued to stare into her eyes,_

"_You're such a liar."_

"_Come now, love. You're the one that got away." She winked and leaned forward, hovering over his face, "Please tell me you won't run away from me this time... you're makin' my body burn."_

"_Is that so?" Daryl's low voice asked with a slight smirk. He amused eyes danced and Daryl felt her dirty blonde hair tickled his face as it rolled off her shoulder. Felicia pressed her glossy lips against his and clawed her fingers lightly down his neck. Daryl moaned in pleasure and wrapped his hands around her small waist, pulling her in closer to him. Felicia yanked off her jacket and tossed it on the ground, beginning to unbutton the sleeveless shirt on Daryl's chest. Her fingernails skidded down his skin and he let out a growl in his throat. It made Felicia and she pulled out of the kiss, sticking out her tongue and licking the skin across his collarbones. Her hot tongue trailed up his neck and ended next to Daryl's ear, Daryl sucking in a deep breath. Goosebumps crawled across his skin and Felicia bit down on his ear; a little too hard for comfort._

"_Don't have to bite so hard." Daryl growled and he could hear the smirk in Felicia's voice,_

"_You know how I can be when I get somethin' I want." She bit down on his ear once again, this time, harder than before. Daryl pushed back on her shoulder,_

"_What the hell did I say!?"_

"_What's wrong?" Felicia stared down with a pout._

Daryl jolted awake and lurched up, hearing a loud thumb over the side of his bed. He panted and rubbed his ear, feeling something wet on his skin. Daryl leaned over and turned on his bedside lamp, looking at the light blood staining his fingers. His eyes narrowed,

"What the hell...?" He heard a sharp bark and looked over to see the puppy jumping halfway onto his bed, its black face staring at him in the light. Daryl rubbed his ear again and put the puzzle pieces together, "Oh, you're such a little cock blocker."

The puppy barked again and jumped onto the bed, leaping onto Daryl's lap. The puppy's full weight landed on Daryl's family jewels and Daryl let out a light shout of pain, tossing the puppy to the edge of the bed and gripping the precious orbs between his legs. He fell onto his pillow and took a deep breath, groaning as the pit of his stomach throbbed. The puppy growled and jumped back on Daryl, biting his arm with his sharp puppy teeth. Daryl leaned back up and the puppy barked loudly, backing up and leaning down on its front paws challengingly.

"You little shit! Shut your mouth!" Daryl hissed and the puppy ignored his warnings, barking and charging at him again. Daryl swiped his hand around the back of the puppy's head and yanked him up by the scruff, "Ya'll better shut your mouth before Merle comes in here!"

As if on cue, Daryl heard Merle's door open on the other side of the house and his brother's heavy footsteps making way towards his room. Daryl quickly scrambled and tossed the puppy into bathroom softly. His bedroom door slammed open and there Merle stood, tossing his eyes back and forth throughout the room to find the culprit of the unknown noise. Merle's eyes quickly found Daryl's and Daryl slowly cracked the door to his bathroom, "You ever heard of the word 'Knock'?" Daryl growled and Merle huffed, his eyes red with tiredness from being waken up so late in the night.

"I heard barkin'. What the hell's goin' on in here?" Merle tossed another glance around the room and Daryl shrugged his shoulder,

"I ain't heard nothin'. What drugs you take before goin' to bed?" Daryl asked while walking towards Merle curiously, trying to keep Merle's attention diverted. Merle rubbed a hand over his head, his eyes searching for answers in the floor.

"I... I think some pills. But that's not the point. I know I heard somethin'." Merle's eyes looked back up at Daryl. Merle accusingly stared with his bloodshot eyes and Daryl only gazed his own glare back at his big brother. Daryl froze when he heard a scurry across the hardwood floors and he didn't have time to look down to stop the little demon.

"AH! What the hell is that! A goddamn rat!?" Merle jumped when a pair of sharp teeth bit into his foot and he backtracked out of the room. The puppy pursued Merle and bit down on his leg, "I'm bein' attacked! Dear Jesus, get me my shotgun!"

"Merle! It ain't no rat! M-Merle!?" Daryl ran out of his room as he heard Merle running towards his room, not joking around about his gun. He heard the puppy scuttling across the floor and barking at Merle, Daryl turning on the living room light and quickly snatching up the black mutt before it could do anymore damage. Merle came running out of his room, guns blazing,

"Where is it!? Where's that damn possum I'll blow its god damn head off!" Merle shouted and cocked the pump on his shotgun, staring around the room frantically. Daryl put his hand up,

"Jesus Christ Merle! Put the damn gun down before you start blowin' holes in the wall again!"

"Not till I kill that varmint scurryin' round my house!"

"It ain't no rat or possum! It's a damn dog!" Daryl shouted and Merle's face twisted into confusion,

"Dog? We ain't got no damn dog, boy! Screw your head on straight!"

"It's your fuckin' head that needs to be fixed! See!?" Daryl grabbed the puppy's scruff and held it out towards Merle, the puppy paralyzed briefly as it hung in the air rather calmly. Merle narrowed his eyes and stared at the pup, hearing a discontent growl rolling out of its throat. Merle scoffed and dropped the tip of his shotgun to the ground,

"What the hell is that mutt doin' in here!? Go throw it outside and leave it to the coyotes!" Merle waved his hand towards the door and Daryl hooked the puppy's body in his arm,

"Ain't gonna leave the thing outside."

"Just gotta bring home every little thing that gives you the baby eyes, don't ya, Daryl?" Merle huffed and Daryl shook his head,

"Maybe when I was a kid!"

"I don't care. We ain't keepin' no dog!" Merle protested and Daryl tossed his hand towards Merle,

"Man, go to bed! You're too doped up to be talkin' bout this shit right now!"

**.:O:.**

Harli staggered in through the backdoor of Waldgrave Automotive and Specialties, her feet dragging in her old brown cowboy boots. She shut the door behind her and trudged towards the front office, tossing her bag under the desk and slamming her weight down in the padded swivel chair. She rested her hand over her eyes and sighed deeply with a groan, her tired eyes closing to take refuge from the sun bearing through the large front window. Harli quickly picked up a ruckus in the shop, opening her eyes to stare at the double doors leading into the stalls. She narrowed her eyes; it must have been an intruder. There was no way her father, and the rest of the shop hands, made it to work before her and if so, Harli deemed it a miracle. She was always the first one there in the morning.

"Damn sis, you look like shit." Harli looked up to see Clayton stepping through the front door, a plastic bag in his hand. She narrowed her eyes and leaned the back of her head against the seat,

"Thanks..." She didn't feel like arguing and Clayton could hear it in her tired voice. He rested the plastic bag on the desk and leaned over the front, taking in her demeanor as she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Her hair was tossed into a lazy bun and she wore a loose fitted shirt with on shoulder of her arm exposed. A pair of jean shorts clasped onto her legs fitted with her favorite cowboy boots on her feet. Clayton now stared at the bandages around her forearm, noting the story his father told him the night before.

"Go out for a girl's night on the town with Red last night?" Clayton asked curiously and Harli reopened her green eyes to stare at Clayton. She shook her head,

"No just... couldn't get any sleep last night for some reason." The lie slithered off her tongue and Clayton seemed to believe it. She continued to stare at him slightly confused, "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Oh uh... I'll leave that for dad to explain."

"Why? What's going on?" Harli asked and lifted her heavy body from the swivel chair. Clayton and Harli stared at each other for a few moments, blue eyes to green, until their gazes broke. The two looked to the back door and Russ strolled through the hallway, his face bright and alert. It was the first time in a long time, in the morning hours, that Harli had seen her dad so ready for work.

"Hey dad." Clayton stood upright and Russ nodded at him,

"Hey boy..." He looked to Harli and saw her disheveled appearance, "Dear lord girl... have a battle with the alarm clock this mornin'?" It was weird for Harli to be the one slacking and her father being the one ready for the day.

"Just a long night, dad."

"How's your arm?" He flicked his head towards her bandaged forearm and she lifted it, rubbing her hand over the bandages lightly,

"Fine... wasn't as bad as it looked."

"Well, guess you're wonderin' why your little brother is here." Russ tossed a glance at Clayton, as well as Harli, and Clayton stood meekly behind the desk. Harli turned back towards Russ,

"Yeah, actually."

"Well, after yesterday's incident, figured you'd need your own shop hand so I enlisted your brother." Russ nodded towards Clayton and Harli stared at her father confused,

"Wait... a shop hand? But Clayton doesn't know one thing about motorcycles."

"I know the basics! Dad taught me a lot when I was a kid. He even let me fix his Harley once or twice." Clayton defended and Harli tossed him a quick, jealous glance. Russ shook his head,

"He don't need to know how to take it apart and put it back together. He's here to help so you don't go hurt yourself again. You could use the muscle."

"Oh really?" Harli crossed her arms and stared at Russ as if she had just been insulted, "I think I've managed just fine on my own here with bikes much bigger than Merle's."

"That's not the point. Clayton's here to stay whether you like it or not so get used to it." Russ said his final words before disappearing behind the double doors and beginning to bark orders at his employees. Harli huffed angrily and tapped the tip of her boot against the wooden floor. Clayton watched Harli and hesitantly approached her,

"Sorry sis... I only agreed to it so I could help you." He apologized for his intrusion and Harli only shook her head,

"It's fine. Let's just get to work already." Harli pushed through the double doors and took in the sweet scent and sounds of the shop interior. Only a girl like Harli could appreciate something as dirty as a mechanics shop.

Harli turned and saw her adversary staring back at her from her workbench: the Triumph Bonneville's engine. She stepped lightly over to the bench and stood over it, seeing a few droplets of her dry blood on the wood bench. Russ did good not to touch her work space; Harli noticed that almost everything was in the same spot she had left the day before. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her ratchet and stared at the dirty chrome finish of the bikes core.

"What should I do?" Clayton asked and stared over Harli's shoulder at the engine. Harli's green eyes stared into his blue irises,

"Well... go see if the piston came in."

"What...?" Clayton asked confused and Harli rolled her eyes, sighing,

"Go see if the damn part came in to fix this thing!" She barked and Clayton jumped at the tone of her voice. Clayton clawed at her with his fingers, making a cat noise and hissing as he walked by. Harli huffed and turned back with the ratchet in her hand, placing the head on the bolt and twisting it. She pulled the face plate off the engine and stared at the four pistons inside, staring in through the third piston and finding the snapped wrist pin inside.

She grabbed a socket wrench and posted it on the bolt, winding it as the bolt became looser and looser. Harli gripped the dirty piston and pulled it out, hearing the wrist pin clang onto the floor and staring at it briefly before setting it down on the table. Snatching the wrist pin up quickly, she set it down next to the piston and looked to the double doors as they whipped open, Clayton stepping in with a small box in his hands.

"Just about killed the package man for this." He smirked and tossed the box into her hands. Harli looked at him doubtfully,

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"He pulled a knife. It was awful there was blood everywhere." Clayton laughed and Harli couldn't help but smile at her little brother's childishness. "So... what else do you want me to do?"

"Nothing for now... all I need to do is replace this piston, put it back in the frame with some oil, and call up Merle to tell him to come pick it up." Harli returned her gaze back to the engine and brandished her socket wrench, "So just sit back and watch for now."

Clayton watched in amazement at his older sister's progress. Her hands moved fast as she replaced the piston as well as cleaning out the carbonator and touching up the rest of the small engine. Her hands may have moved fast, but her mind had to have been moving faster. Bolts flew about, cleaning oil dripped all over the bench, and grease piled itself on Harli's soft skin. Merle's bikes engine was so dirty on the insides that most of the caked on grease took forever to scrub off. That's where Clayton came in. Harli made his scrub the pistons clean, making sure that he was careful around the more delicate parts to ensure the motorcycle would be in somewhat pristine condition when it was fixed.

"Alright... I guess it's safe to say we can put the engine back into the frame." Harli wiped her hands and forehead, her fingers beginning to become sore from so much hand work. "Grab the engine lift."

Clayton turned around and grabbed the engine lift, wheeling it over to her slowly as the chains clanged against the long steel rods. He returned to Harli's side and she began to demonstrate how to use it; showing him where the hooks went and how to hook it in. After hooking the engine, Clayton pulled the chain and lifted it off the table, Harli steadying it so it didn't swing off the table. Clayton helped guide the lift back over to Merle's Triumph as it sat atop the motorcycle lift. Harli lowered the bike a few inches and then guided Clayton on the proper way to install/reinstall a motorcycle engine. Not that he would use it outside the shop at any time.

"The damn thing is heavier than it looks."

"Yeah... tell me about it." Harli said as she watched Clayton position it in the frame, her arm throbbing at the thought of herself cutting her arm the day prior. Once Clayton swung the engine in its proper position, Harli began to unhook it as the frame now held it up. Clayton watched curiously as Harli began to hook up the oil, gas, and brake lines to their designated areas.

After tightening the brake line, she pressed a button of the lift and slowly, the strapped down motorcycle lowered back to the ground. Harli turned and grabbed a canister of motor oil, tossing it to Clayton. He caught it awkwardly and looked at her as she pointed to oil cylinder, "I have to go write this up, call Merle, and take the bike on a quick test drive. Put oil in the cylinder and fill it up to the orange line. I'll be right back."

Harli disappeared through the double doors and walked behind the desk, taking a seat in the swivel chair. She took a quick look at the time, seeing that an hour or so had already passed since she had walked into the shop. Clicking her mouse on one of the icons, the records popped up and Harli quickly clicked on Merle Dixon's name. She began to type flawlessly over the keyboard, typing up all the hard work and parts that were needed in the mechanical work. Harli heard the door open, the small bell jingling above the door to signal someone's arrival, but kept her eyes on the computer screen.

"I'll be you in just one moment."

"Psh... I should come first before any damn thing in this shop. Even your precious little brother!" Harli's fingers halted and she looked up from the chair to see Red smirking down at her. Harli smiled and stood up,

"Well what the hell are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd come visit my favorite cousin! I had the day off today so I thought we could go to lunch when you have the time. My treat." Red smiled and leaned over the desk, her cleavage glaring out at Harli through the V of her shirt. Harli smiled and nodded her head,

"Yeah... uh let me call Merle real quick to tell him his motorcycles ready. I gotta take it on a quick test drive to make sure it's fixed and then we can go out."

"Merle's bike? You're fixin' that ol' thing?" Her southern licked accent asked with doubt and Harli nodded,

"Yeah... why's that so hard to believe?" She raised an eyebrow and Red only shrugged her shoulders,

"Nothin'... just Merle seems like the guy that wouldn't let anyone else touch that beauty other than him. I mean, he completely customized it. But then again... who can resist letting a damn pretty girl like you work on such a fine piece of machinery such as his?" Red's white grin stretched across her cheeks slyly and Harli scoffed, rolling her eyes. Harli grabbed the phone and dialed Merle's cell phone number, waiting for him to answer on the other end.

"_Who the hell is this!? I'm busy!"_ Merle shouted on the other end. Harli leaned over the counter,

"Harli Waldgrave? I take it you don't want you motorcycle back that badly."

"_Oh... little Apple Eyes I wasn't expectin' you to call today. You got my baby done that quick?"_

"Sure did. I'm about to take it on a quick test run, but other than that you're free to come pick it up." Harli bit down on her thumbnail, ignoring the dirty the clasped against her skin. She could hear the amusement in Merle's voice,

"_Ah... gonna be ridin' my bike, eh? Maybe later on tonight I'll take you out on a real ride. It'll be the time of your life, I promise you that, sweetheart." _Harli pressed her forehead into her hand, her face heating up from the offer. She shook her head,

"No thanks..." She breathed through the phone and Merle's voice didn't sound the least defeated,

"_I'll be over there in a flash."_

The conversation ended by Merle hanging up the phone and Harli pressed the shop phone back on the dialer, sighing and looking at the amused expression on Red's face, "That Merle is quite persistent... ain't he?"

"Too much." Harli said and the two turned upon hearing the double doors opening. Clayton stepped through,

"I got the oil in the engine; should be ready to take out now."

"Alright, thanks." Harli nodded and Red stared at her confused,

"What was that?"

"What?"

"What's Baby Clayton doin' here?" Red asked while pointing her thumb over her shoulder. Harli sighed and ran a greasy hand through her hair,

"My dad made him my shophand..."

"Oh boy." Red stood up straight and tugged at the edge of her dark brown blouse, "Bet you're havin' fun with that."

"He's actually pretty savvy. He may not know much about bikes but her gets the dirty stuff done." Harli smiled and Red laughed to herself,

"Some sister you are... now are we takin' a ride on that bike, or what?" Red shook her head and Harli narrowed her eyes,

"What do you mean "_we_"?" Harli asked and Red grabbed Harli's greasy hands,

"Oh please, please, _please_ my sweet little cousin! Take me with you on the test ride!" Red pleaded and Harli pulled her hands out of Red's,

"I-I don't know if I can. That just seems so... unprofessional."

"Oh don't talk to me about unprofessional! You know that if Merle Dixon saw us _both_ on that bike of his he would die of blood rushing to both of his heads!? He's not gonna give one shit if there's two hot girls sitting on his motorcycle!" Red protested and Harli stared into her beautifully blue, determined eyes. Harli closed her eyes and sighed, nodding her head and resting her hands on her hips,

"Alright... alright but we can't take the damn thing too far. I've never ridden a bike with two people on it before and the way Merle's got that engine rigged... the things gonna have a lot of power."

"Don't crash it unless you want to eat your heart for dinner." Red warned as she followed Harli into the shop. Harli looked over her shoulder at Red,

"Thanks, Red. That makes me feel a lot better." Harli unhooked the bike from the lift and crouched down on the side of the bike, making sure everything was in its proper position. She reached her hand up and pumped the fuel line, grabbing the key and twisting it. The engine coughed once and became quiet once again. With another few pumps of the gas line, Harli turned the key once again, and this time, the motorcycle roared to life.

Harli screamed and fell back on her rump, her arms frozen in the air and her mouth draped open. She huffed and opened her green eyes, looking down at her stained clothing and skin. Red put her hand to her mouth with a stifled laugh and Clayton's face turned to shock and fear upon the sight of his sister. Oil caked Harli's chest and clothing, it dripping off her arms and hands as she continued to sit on the ground. She gritted her teeth and growled lowly in her throat, slowly getting to her feet and snapping her hands to rid of the excess oil. Harli looked at Clayton, his blue eyes wide as he stared at her fearfully,

"You forget something, Clayton?" Her voice hissed and Clayton's eyes looked to the engine. He immediately spotted the problem, noticing that he had forgotten to put the oil cap back on the engine.

"Sorry... I..."

"Don't... it's fine." Harli's blood boiled under her skin but she kept her composure. It was so easy to blow up on her mindless little brother but it was her own fault for not checking to make sure it had been capped. Finally, Red couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing at poor Harli's condition,

"I'm sorry Harli! I just... I just can't help it!" She chuckled and Harli huffed again, pushing past the two back into the office area for a clean towel.

**.:O:.**

"Get the damn mutt off me or I swear I'll throw it out the window." Merle warned as he sat in the passenger's seat of Daryl's baby blue Ford. Daryl looked over, seeing the puppy biting at Merle's pants, growling and rolling around.

"Oh shut up you old coot. You ain't gonna do one thing to that mutt."

"Won't be sayin' that when you're eatin' him for dinner tonight." Merle growled, rolling the puppy off him. The puppy rolled to stop against Daryl's leg, tossing its head back and grabbing onto Daryl's pantleg next. Merle shook his head, "Can't believe I agreed to lettin' that little asshole stay. Even after what he did to me last night."

"Got a heart of gold in that flabby chest of yours Merle." Daryl teased, causing Merle to glare at him with his blue Dixon eyes. Daryl snickered to himself and Merle shook his head, tossing his gaze out through the window,

"I'll be the one laughin' when you're usin' all that money you have saved up raising that damn dog. Say good-bye to that motorcycle you've been wanting for the last eight years." Merle nodded and Daryl looked over at him,

"I'll still be able to get it. Just gotta wait longer."

"Yeah, when I'm good and dead! I'm never gonna be able to ride with you and the Sons... little brother." Merle glanced over at Daryl and his little brother returned his gaze back through the windshield. He swung his hand along with the steering wheel, turning the corner where Russ' shop sat on the strip. Daryl's teeth grinded together and he came to a stop just outside the shop, seeing the garage doors wide open. Merle jumped out of the truck giddily and Daryl watched Russ walked out to greet his old friend.

Daryl looked down at the puppy as it sat in the middle seat, staring out at Merle and whimpering that his chew toy was gone. Daryl rubbed the puppy's head and opened the driver's side door, "Keep out of trouble you little runt. You start eatin' my seats we're gonna have a serious problem." Daryl shut the driver's door and the puppy cried for him, jumping up on the inside of the door and sticking his head out and barking at Daryl to come back. Daryl ignored the pups cries and stepped up on the sidewalk,

"How you doin' there, Daryl?" Russ took Daryl's hand into a tight handshake and Daryl nodded,

"Pretty good, what about you?"

"Just tryin' to make a buck. Gotta pay the shop and my houses rent by Monday. Lookin' at about a grand and a half." Russ shook his head and broke the handshake, Daryl flinching at the amount of money,

"Damn... that's a lot."

"Yeah tell me about it. But glad I got my girl workin' for me. She's really reelin' in the bucks, I tell ya."

"Speakin' of your lovely daughter, where's she at?" Merle asked while looking down the street to find Harli. Russ nodded at Merle,

"She just took it out about ten minutes ago. Should be back anytime." Russ turned around and waved for the Dixon brothers to follow after him, "Boys want a beer?"

"Shouldn't even ask that question anymore brother!" Merle smiled and followed after him, ready for his first beer of the day. Daryl stepped after them and looked over his shoulder upon hearing the puppy barked sharply at him from the passenger's side window. He stared at Daryl with gleaming brown eyes, waiting for him to return as he disappeared into the shop.

The pups ears perked upon hearing a loud noise, his face turning at the sight of a loud motorcycle rolling into the driveway. He began to bark at the loud contraption, howling every couple barks until the bike shut off. Both Harli and Red stepped off the bike, Harli's clothes still wet with oil as she let out a sigh. Red stretched her legs,

"Oh man, that bike sure is loud." Red rubbed her hand against her ear, "But damn it sure is a nice ride."

"I'll meet you inside. Gotta tighten the brake line real quick it's feeling a bit sticky."

"Alrighty." Red called and returned into the office of the shop, shutting the squeaky door behind her. Harli walked into the shop and grabbed the right sized wrench, returning to the driveway and crouching down next to the bike. She half expected it to explode on her again. Harli caught something out of the corner of her eye and swore she saw someone disappear through the alleyway of the building across the street. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and closed her eyes.

Her head turned when she heard a whimper and took noticed to a small black puppy hanging its head out of the window of Daryl's blue truck. It sat patiently and tilted its head, watching her curiously as Harli quickly tightened the line and stood to her feet. She tucked the wrench in the back pocket of her jeans and walked towards the truck, a smile on her face as she saw the cuteness on the puppy's face. It barked at her and placed its paws on the frame of the window, lifting up and wagging its tail excitingly.

"Well hello there... aren't you just the cutest thing I've ever seen." Harli cooed and placed her hands on each side of the puppy's face. The puppy bit at her hands playfully and became overly excited at Harli's touch. She rubbed his head as he chewed on her index finger, growling low in his little throat. Harli laughed to herself and leaned on the door, rolling the puppy over on its black and scratching his stomach. His leg pumped in delight,

"I'd be careful with that mutt. He can be a real asshole." Harli turned at the sound of Daryl's voice, seeing him walking up and eyeballing the pup. The puppy began to lick Harli's hand, loving the taste of her greasy, salty skin.

"He seems alright to me..." Harli looked back at the puppy, watching his tail wagging uncontrollably at the sight of Daryl. The pup barked and jumped at the door frame, keeping its light brown eyes plastered on Daryl. "He wants his daddy."

"Daddy." Daryl scoffed at the word, "Ain't nothin' like that."

"Does he have a name?" Harli asked curiously and Daryl shook his head,

"No... just found him a couple days ago. I had to fork over an arm and a leg to get Merle to let me keep him." Daryl scoffed and leaned on the front fender of the truck, crossing his arms. Harli turned to face him,

"Found him? So a street pup, huh?" Harli looked at the puppy as she stroked his amazingly soft, black fur. He whimpered and bit at her finger again,

"What the hell happened to you?" Daryl asked amusingly at the sight of the oil all over her shirt and pants. Harli looked down and huffed, placing a hand on her hip,

"Mishap with Merle's stubborn ass bike. Clayton didn't put the oil cap back on the engine so when I tried to start it... the whole thing exploded."

"First time for everything." Daryl smirked and she huffed, rolling her eyes and walking past him with a smirk of her own. Daryl watched her disappear into the shop, hearing the puppy growl with discontent. Daryl looked into his brown eyes, "What? Don't look at me like that."

Just as Daryl stepped into the shop, Merle handed Harli a wad of cash, "Thanks a lot there, Sweetheart. Now every time I ride my bike I'll be thinkin' of you."

"Thanks Merle." Harli smirked and shook her head, placing the money into the cash register. Daryl narrowed his eyes at his older brother upon seeing him stealing a glance at Harli's backside. Merle looked back at Daryl and winked at him, Daryl scowling and rolling his shoulder. Harli tossed Merle to key to his bike and Merle caught it swiftly,

"Alright Daryl... let's get this show on the road. We still got to go pick up our boat!" Merle slapped a hand on his little brother's shoulder, pulling him along towards the door. Daryl looked over his shoulder and caught Harli's eye, Harli waving at him softly with a smile.

"That reminds me, Harli." Red turned to face her little cousin, leaning back over the desk and staring into her green eyes. Harli looked back at the money as she counted it,

"What's that?"

"Hayden's invited us out on his boat tomorrow for the day. Then later on, we're gonna go out to Rudy's bar and grill and have a good ol' time!" Red smiled and Harli looked at her doubtfully,

"On the boat? I don't know if my dad will give me the day off."

"Well I'll pester his ass until he does. I really want you to go and Hayden wants to meet you!" Red said, resting her chin on her hand and giving Harli the puppy dog eyes. Harli sighed and stared into Red's mesmerizing blue eyes, her black bangs corralling her face.

"Alright... I'll go." Harli smiled and Red jumped up,

"Yes! Oh dear, I might die of excitement!" Red squealed with happiness. She slapped her hands together, "Get your bag and let's go celebrate for lunch. I'll stop by your house so you can grab some new clothes!"

"Good because I'm hungry." Harli leaned down and grabbed her bag, hooking the strap around her shoulder and following after Meredith. As they moved through the shop door, Red stopped and wheeled around on the heel of her shoe,

"Oh yeah... and one more thing." A smile crossed Red's cheeks and her dimples dipped into her skin, "Little ol' Daryl and Merle Dixon are comin' along as well. Now you can show off that cute body of yours to that boy. I say we go shopping for nice, sexy little bikini after lunch!"


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I don't want anyone to be offended by the dialogue provided in this story. Racial and sexual terms used are only written based off the personalities of some characters. Especially Merle of all people. I want to stay true to his rugged and racially prejudiced character as much as possible. Please don't take anything these characters say offensively. In no way do my personal opinions/views reflect into this story. I just wanted to warn everyone now that there will be possibly be some vulgar dialogue that will show up now and in the future!**

**All of that aside... please enjoy the chapter everyone :)**

Harli's eyes popped open at the sound of Gumbo squawking.

Leaning up, she felt her bed head puff up on top of her scalp, her hand immediately pressing the locks down in attempts to tame it. Slowly, Harli walked out of her room and peeked out from around the corner of the hallway, checking her surroundings. Her eyes fell upon Gumbo's cage, watching the black crow preen his wings. Harli gasped and jumped when she felt something touch her legs, looking down and letting out a deep sigh upon seeing Nacho rubbing on her bare leg to greet her good morning. Usually when Gumbo squawked there was someone walking by the house or approaching her door, but as Harli looked out the window, she didn't see anybody. Ripping open her front room curtains, she rubbed her head and pulled her chocolate brown hair around her neck. her feet met with the cold tiles of her kitchen, her ears picking up the faint sound on Nacho's nails tapping against the floor like little kitty tap shoes. Harli groaned and leaned over her kitchen counter, pressing her forehead against the marble top.

She was so tired from the past couple, sleepless nights. Ever since she heard about her ex-boyfriends release from prison a couple days prior, she had been very jumpy and more insecure than usual. But those were just her nerves.

Harli lifted her head when she heard a lump and saw Nacho stretching his lumpy self across her dining table, waiting patiently for his morning soft food. His tail whipped back and forth and his pale green eyes narrowed while looking at her. Harli sighed and nodded her head, pulling open the refrigerator door and pulling out her animals morning breakfasts. Nacho, of course, got his soft food and Gumbo got his mix of chopped up, raw stew meat and a few mixed berries. As they were eating their food, Harli got ready for the day. She quickly scrounged up some ingredients to make a few sandwiches, not knowing whether or not Red, Hayden, Daryl, or Merle would have food for the day.

There would be beer, or course. Plenty of beer.

She packed all the food and beverages in an ice chest, dumping her entire ice compartment from her freezer inside. Her muscles halted upon hearing a knock at her door and she looked over her shoulder, staring at the wooden door. Turning, she stepped towards it cautiously and stared through the peephole of the door, sighing upon seeing a familiar face. She pulled the door open and stared into a pair of familiar blue eyes,

"What the hell are you still doing in your pajamas? It's like eleven already!" Red stepped into the house, eyeballing her cousin's thigh high shorts and oversized T-shirt. Harli narrowed her eyes,

"It's not eleven. There's no way!" Harli looked over her shoulder at the clock above her television. It was, in fact, ten minutes after eleven. "Well I uh... just woke up. I didn't realize I slept in... it didn't feel like I did."

"Oh sis! You're still not ready!" Harli turned to see Clayton walking into the house, eyeballing his surroundings as it was his first time in her house. He nodded his head, "Nice place you got..."

"Clayton? You're coming too?"

"Sure am." His white teeth gleamed in a smile and Red hummed in her throat, tossing a glance at Clayton over her shoulder,

"Yeah... Baby C overheard our conversation about it and wouldn't leave me alone until I said yes- Er... Hayden did that is." Red quickly corrected, "So I suppose he'll be stuck with us for the rest of the day."

"Jeez Red you make it sound like I'm a leech or some shit." Clayton pouted and Red smiled, the dimples in her face sinking into her cheek,

"That's cuz you are, Baby C."

"Please... oh please, please... stop calling me Baby C." Clayton plead while shutting the door behind him, "It's so not attractive..."

"No. I call Harli Baby Cousin all the time and she doesn't get mad." Red plopped herself down on the couch and slid her hand across the back of it. Clayton rolled his eyes and sat down next to her,

"Yeah but Harli's a girl. It doesn't count."

"Harli! Go get your bathing suit on we've got to meet Hayden and Chester down at the Marina by noon!" Red shooed her towards her room,

"Alright! Alright... give me a minute..." Harli groaned and walked down the hallway into her room. Red leaned over the back of the couch,

"And put on that sweet little number we picked out for you last night! Don't be shy now!" Red called and slumped back down into the couch, picking at her fingernails. Clayton heard Gumbo squawk at him and he narrowed his eyes,

"I didn't know my sister had a crow..." He smiled and stood to his feet, sticking his finger through the slots of his cage, "That's awesome." Gumbo cawed and snapped his sharp beak down on Clayton's finger. Clayton gasped and yanked his hand back, "You little bastard!"

"That's what you get!" Red chuckled to herself and Clayton shot her an annoyed look. Nacho jumped up on the couch and laid his fat self over Red, purring once he felt her hand slide across his back, "Oh hello there... Mr. Nacho." Nacho rolled over on his back and Red scratched his stomach, Nacho closing his eyes with utter satisfaction.

"I can't imagine what type of bathing suit you made my sister buy..." Clayton shook his head disapprovingly while rubbing his damaged finger, "You might as well have her put on a loin cloth and some nipple tassels and call it good."

"Don't talk about your sister like that you sicko!" Red tossed a pillow at him and he caught it swiftly, shaking his head,

"Just callin' it as I see it. You're notorious for that shit, Meredith."

"For your information she was too uncomfortable to buy the swimsuit I picked out." Red huffed, "She's as stubborn as a brick."

"That's my big sis." Clayton smiled proudly.

"Alright... let me get my stuff and we can get out of here." Harli voiced as she walked into the room. Clayton and Red looked over at her, Red pouting upon seeing her with a strapless sundress covering her bathing suit.

"Oh... come on!"

"What!? I'm not gonna go tote around town in just my bathing suit!" Harli scoffed and picked up her pre-packed beach bag, as well as yanking up her ice chest, "Besides... you're wearing shorts and a tank top over yours."

"I'm just givin' you a hard time, babe." Red smiled and jumped to her feet. Clayton walked over to Harli and took her bag and ice chest,

"Let me take care of these for you."

"Thanks." Harli smiled and Red nodded at Harli,

"You ready?"

"Yeah... let's get out of here." The two girls walked to the door and Harli patted Nacho's soft head as she passed by the couch, smacking a quick kiss a top of his head. She locked the door behind her and followed Red to her old red 1975 Ford pickup. Harli sat in the middle of the two as Clayton jumped into the passenger's seat and Red shut the driver's side door, turning the key in the ignition and hearing the roaring engine shout to life.

The lifted truck rolled down the road, stereo blaring The Eagles as the three made way towards the marina of downtown. With both windows of the single cab down, cool air rushed into the vehicle, making Harli smile with delight of the relief from the hot sun. She tossed her Ray Van sun glasses on her face to avoid the rays of the glaring sun and tied her hair up in a ponytail high on her head. The sweat on the back of her neck dried up quickly and her green eyes finally found the giant blue waters of Lake Arrowhead. Leaning forward in the seat, hearing Red smiling and singing along with the music, as well as Clayton trying to sound good with a raspy singing voice, Harli saw numerous boats on the water. Some were water skiing, others tubed off the back, and some just glazed along the water for a friendly old time. Red slowed the truck to the minimum required speed limit around all the people of the downtown area, rolling her fingers through her long black hair.

"Hello ladies!" Clayton smiled as his eyes found a trio of beautiful young women walking down the sidewalk as the truck came to a stop at a light. The girls smiled and waved at him,

"Hey there! Where are you goin', cutie?" One stopped on the sidewalk and smile brightly towards Harli's young brother. Clayton lifted the sunglasses off his face and winked,

"Wherever you're goin'!" Clayton's words rolled smooth off his tongue and the girls laughed childishly. As the light turned green, Red slammed her foot down on the gas pedal and the truck roared off the line, leaving the three young women in a cloud of exhaust. Red laughed uncontrollably and Clayton pulled his head back into the cab, shooting Red a dirty look,

"Real mature, Red." Clayton huffed and dropped his sunglasses back on the bridge of his nose. Red looked over at him, her amused blue eyes staring through her own glasses,

"You can go flirt with all the hoochy mama's you want when you're not with me. But as of now, I have the power to embarrass the shit out of you!" Red laughed and Harli rolled her eyes,

"Don't worry Clay, she does it to me, too."

"I better have good luck at the bar tonight." Clayton mumbled and Harli looked at him thoughtfully,

"You can't go to the bar, you're only twenty. Last time I checked that was the number _before_ twenty one: the legal drinking age." Clayton's head rolled over to her with a smile,

"Not when you have a dad that's friends with every bar owner within thirty miles. Besides... my birthdays in seven months anyways. It's close enough..." Harli rolled her eyes at the thought of her irresponsible father.

She leaned over against Clayton as Red swung her big truck into a parking spot at the marina. Clayton opened the door and helped Harli out, handing her the beach bag she had packed. Clayton's long arms reached into the bed of the truck and pulled out two ice chests, handling them without breaking a sweat. Red locked up her big truck good and tight, tucking her keys into her bag as she flipped the strap over her shoulder, "Come on, ya'll!" Red waved and both Harli and her big little brother followed their cousin down to the docks, where numerous boats were getting ready to hit the open waters of the lake. They walked to the edge of a fifty foot dock, coming to a stop at a large, electric blue, six-passenger speed boat accompanied by a tall, lean man inspecting its body. Red tapped on his shoulder, "That Cavalry has arrived, El Capitan."

"Oh, hey babe." He leaned up and planted a quick kiss on Red's lips with a smile. Red turned around and introduced her dear cousin,

"This is Harli, the one you've been wanting to meet so badly!"

"It's about time." Hayden smiled and stretched his hand out towards Harli, "Been waitin' to meet the notorious daughter of Russell Waldgrave. I hear you can rig a motorcycle real well."

"I suppose." Harli smiled and took his hand in a friendly shake, "It's really nice to meet you. Red talks about you a lot."

"Is that so?" Hayden smirked and looked at Red over his shoulder, seeing an embarrassed pout on her face. His brown eyes turned back to Harli, "Very nice to meet you, too. I hope you'll have fun with us today."

"I will for sure." Harli smiled, continuing to take in Hayden's distinct characteristics. He had shaggy, short black hair and brown eyes along with tan skin occupied by numerous tattoos. She could see the pride of the Cherokee Indian in his smile and the same friskiness of his spirit in his eyes. He had a slim, but muscular structure to him and was a bit taller than Clayton. Hayden wore a black wife beater with a pair of white and blue swim trunks loosely hanging from his waist. His smile brightened every time he looked at Red, showing nothing but kindness and affection towards her.

"Hey Clayton boy!" Hayden brought Clayton into a big hug, "Glad you came today, too. It's been a long time since we've hung out."

"I know man it sucks when you work out of town!" The two men broke apart, "I get so lonely sometimes cuz I don't really have a whole lot of friends..."

"I wonder what the reasoning behind that could be!" Red called from the boat behind Hayden and Clayton huffed at his cousin. Hayden laughed to himself and turned to Harli,

"I'll take your bag if you don't mind."

"No, no problem." Harli handed him the bag and she continued to stand awkwardly on the dock. Clayton jumped into the boat, steadying himself as it rocked side to side on top of the water. Red looked up at Harli from the dock, waving her hand towards her,

"Come on! Get in, you don't have to be shy." Red smiled and Harli carefully stepped into the boat, her body wobbling along with it from the sudden impact of her weight. Red tucked a few things under the driver's seat of the boat and leaned up, "We're gonna sit at the front of the boat. Maybe we can do a little Titanic action!"

"Yeah if we want to fall off the front and get run over."

"Oh man... you really need to loosen up." Red shook her head and the two girls sat down on the large seat at the front of the boat. Harli sighed and pulled her legs up on the hot cushion,

"Sorry... just didn't get good sleep last night."

"Well... at least try to have fun with us, okay?" Red patted Harli's knee and Harli smiled with a nod,

"I will... I just gotta wake up a little bit more."

"Hey, babe!" Red called as Hayden jumped into the boat and sat down in the driver's seat, "Where's Chester?"

"Grabbin' some extra gas just in case." Hayden turned over the engine and the boat's engine rumbles and boiled in the water. He nodded with a smile, "He's right there!"

Harli looked over her shoulder to see another young man walking up to the boat with his hands full of gasoline canisters. He had a grin plastered on his face as he stepped into the boat, dropping the canisters, "Clay-Dog!"

"Chester Cheetah what's up!?" Clayton and Chester embraced each other in a hug, their hands smacking each other's backs. Hayden looked over his shoulder at them as the boat began to back out of the dock,

"Sit on down there kids! You can hug and kiss it out when we get to where we're goin'!" Chester and Clayton sat down one the back seats, their mouths speaking inaudibly in Harli's ears as they were muffled by the drowning engine. Harli looked over to Hayden and watched his hand spin the wheel of the boat around,

"Where are we going, exactly?" She asked curiously and Hayden plopped his sunglasses down on his face, beginning to straighten out the hull of his boat,

"The Gallows."

Harli tilted her head in even more curiosity, her body lunging softly against the side of the boat as Hayden took off. But in the No-Wake zone, they could only manage a slow pace until they came to the right distance. A few boats took off in front of them, leaving the heavy wake of waves behind them that rocked Hayden's blue boat side to side. Red leaned back on the side of the boat behind her and Harli followed her lead. Finally, Hayden shoved the accelerator forward and the front of the boat rose high in the air as it took off. Harli about had a heart attack upon thinking they were going to flip over, grasping onto the railing behind her. She could hear Red laughing at her, knowing that Harli hadn't been on boats like Hayden's too often. After a few moments, the boat leveled out and the ride became more enjoyable rather than a false death trap in Harli's head. The warm air around the lake turned into a cool breeze, Harli's ponytail tugging at the back of her head as it flapped in the wind. Her ears picked up the sound of music as Hayden turned on the radio and stood up, handling the steering wheel without a problem in the world.

Water sprayed up from the bottom of the boats hull and tapped Harli in the face. It felt so refreshing; being out on the beautiful, hot sunny day. It was Harli's first time out on Lake Arrowhead, and by what she could see from the shore, it was absolutely beautiful. But being on the boat enhanced her experience entirely. The water was a shade of bright blue and seemed like it was absolutely untainted by all the pollution caused by the boats. The waves of the water danced on the surface, causing Hayden's boat to bounce along with them to wherever they went. Hayden passed another boat full of young women, Chester and Clayton jumping to their feet, waving and whistling as they rode by. Red shook her head at the boys' childishness and Harli smiled with a small laugh at her brother. He may have been a pain in her ass at times, but he was still her little brother.

The mountains cradling the lake slowly blew by as the boat sped through the waters, the wind causing Harli's dress to flap about in the wind. Her bangs tickled her face and she watched an island pass them by, her eyes finding a new wonder. The Arrowhead Yacht and Country club bore down at them with its beautiful trees and carefully cut grass. The smell of fresh meats being barbequed wafted through the air, making Harli's stomach growl ravenously. She rubbed her belly and ignored its pleas for food, continuing to stare at the beautiful country club that was soon coming to a close in her eyes. Dozens and dozens of yachts lined the docks and shores of the club, hundreds of richlings crowding the grasses and bars. Unlike the hardworking people of the small town of Waleska, they didn't have one care or stress in the world.

Harli felt the boat jolt to the side and slow down, Hayden shouting an obscenity and tossing up his hand angrily. Harli looked forward as another boat cut back in front of them, Hayden slowing the boat even more. Red stood to her feet and stared through the tinted glasses, pressing her hand against her hip as the unknown boat turned around them in a circle. "What the hell's wrong with you, assholes!?"

"Hey!? That's no way talk to me young lady! I'll jump over on that boat and kick your pretty little ass!"

Merle Dixon.

"Let's see you try it you old-as-dirt cocksucker!" Red shouted back as Merle's boat rolled up next to them. A smile gleamed from Merle's cheeks and he laughed back at Red,

"Hot damn little lady you should join those Ass-Jockeys in the Navy with that sailor mouth of yours!"

"I told you I'd meet you out at The Gallows, Dixon! You didn't have to give me a damn heart attack!" Hayden called and glared over at him. Harli stared over her shoulder at Merle and her gaze automatically fell on none other than Daryl Dixon. The two brothers both wore white wife beaters and Daryl wore a black and white pair of swim trucks, Merle wearing a red and black pair. Harli smiled upon seeing that little black puppy of his hooked under his arm, his one perky and one floppy ear standing up on his each side of his head.

"Ain't no fun if I can't scare the shit outta you, boy!" Merle laughed and Hayden shook his head with a smile. Not even he could ignore the notorious Dixon charm,

"What the hell you bring those faggots for!?" Daryl chimed and stood up with a smile, leaning over the side of the boat and eyeballing Clayton and Chester. Clayton pointed at Daryl,

"Up yours Darleena! Don't make me come over there!"

"Let's see you try it boy!" Daryl laughed at Clayton's dry threat, "And when you get to the hospital later the doctors gonna be wonderin' how a boot could get so far up someone's ass!"

"All ya'll boys are is all bark and no bite!" Red laughed, "Let's get this show on the road!"

On cue, Hayden pressed the gas handle forward and the boat lifted back up again, leaving the Dixon's in their wake. Merle's rickety old swamp boat caught up to them quickly and surprisingly kept pace with Hayden's speedboat. Harli looked past Red as they moved back up next to Hayden on the opposite side, eyeballing the two brothers. Daryl's brown hair scurried in the boat generated wind and he kept his eyes locked onto his puppy as it jumped about the boat. Harli smiled at the sight of his oddly fatherly behavior around the pup. She gasped when the black pup jumped up on the front of the boat and lost his balance, tumbling towards the edge while trying to recover his footing. But Daryl swung his hand in and scooped the puppy up by his belly. Hooking the mutt back under his arm, he refused to let the pup free roam the boat any longer.

"Finally!" Harli heard Red shout and Harli's heard turned towards the front of the boat, seeing a large waterway disappearing in between two mountain stretches. Her back lengthened and her eyes lighted up at the sight they were quickly approaching.

Two large, old steel train bridges stretched across the gorge of water between the two mountains. They had to have been at least eighty feet in the air with two long rope swings stretching out from their bottoms. But the giant cove they had entered amazed Harli even more. A very large island sat in the middle of the encirclement of water accompanied by a large stretch of beach at its base. The island had multiple cliff edges dangling from its core, numerous teenagers jumping off them into the deep waters below. The boat slowed and Hayden turned it towards an old set of makeshift docks tied to the back of the island. He expertly weaved it around boats anchored and tethered to each other in the open waters, not wanting to take the chance to tie off at the rickety old docks.

Chester jumped out of the side of the boat and landed on the docks. Hayden tossed him a set of ropes and Chester weaved the thick ropes under the metal tie off. Hayden shut off the engine once the boat was secure and the Dixons pulled up to the other side of the dock, Daryl jumping out and tying down their own boat. Harli and Red stood up, stretching their bodies and grabbing their bags as the boys began to unload the ice chests. Red stood by the side of the boat and Hayden extended his hand towards her to help her out. She took it with a smile and Hayden pulled her out of the boat safely, motioning for her to wait on the beach. Harli rested the strap of her beach bag on her shoulder and made way towards the edge of the boat. She saw an extended hand out towards her,

"Here... glad to see your brother just left you behind." Daryl's raspy voice caught her attention and she looked up into his blue eyes. Meekly, she took his hand and he pulled her up without a sweat, her feet finding refuge on the shabby dock.

"Thank you." She smiled and he nodded,

"No problem..." He replied and she noticed that the puppy was still hooked under Daryl's arm. She stopped Daryl,

"I can take him for a while if you want... or at least while you get whatever stuff you need to carry to the beach." Harli offered and Daryl looked to her thoughtfully. The pup thrashed around under his arm, whimpering and wanting to be put down.

"You sure you can handle him? He's a little runt..." Daryl scoffed towards the pup and Harli shook her head, taking him from Daryl's arm,

"It's no problem... besides I can tell you could use a break from him." She laughed and turned around, eyeing the small black collar around his neck that masked into his fur. Upon landing on the beach, Harli set the little puppy down and he immediately began sniffing around for something to play with.

Red shoved the rod of a beach umbrella into the hot sand of the beach, Harli setting down her bag along with a chair. Surprisingly, the puppy stayed close to Harli and he even found a stick that he had started chewing on. With the puppy occupied, Harli and Red set themselves up in their chairs, Red unbuttoning her shorts and tossing them off her hips. With the flip of her shirt, Red revealed her white bikini that hid under her summer clothing. The glistening bar of her belly button ring shined in the sunlight and her semi-new shoulder tattoo made Harli's eyes draw to it once again. Red looked over and smiled at her,

"Now you..." She motioned for Harli to remove her sundress and Harli stared back at her,

"I think I'll wait..."

"No, no! If you don't do it now you won't at all. Don't be shy!" Red shook her head and Harli sighed, hooking her thumbs up under her arm pits. She slid the sundress off her body and it fell to the sand below her.

Daryl almost dropped the ice chest in his hand once he looked up and saw the sight before him. He had wondered what kind of undergarments laid underneath the sundress but he didn't think he was ready for it. The abrupt appearance of her nearly naked body threw him out of balance as he stared at her beautifully tan skin. Clasped around her chest was a strapless, black bikini top accented by the black bottoms that fit snuggly around her waist. Her lean body seemed to move slowly in his eyes as she turned, giving him a full view of her backside. Her rump rattled softly as she walked and as she bent over to pick something up off the ground, he almost lost control.

"That girl's got an ass of an angel..." Merle slapped a hand on Daryl's shoulder and his head jolted towards his brother, seeing him smiling, "You might as well go over there and ask her to go fuck you where you stand, the way you're eyeballin' her."

"Man, shut up!" Daryl scoffed and pulled his shoulder from Merle's grasp.

"Ya'll better get your nasty eyes off my sister before you start seein' stars instead of her!" Clayton warned while walking past the brothers. Daryl snorted,

"Yeah you keep up your dry threats there Clay and you might scare the ants away!" Daryl set the ice chest down under the umbrella, "Cuz that's all you might be scary to!"

"Eat me, Daryl!" Clayton smirked and Daryl wrapped his arm around Clayton's head, putting him in a head lock. Hayden set down his bag,

"Alright you two... we didn't come here to fight we came here to see who can jump off the bridge the highest!" Hayden smirked and Daryl tossed Clayton out of his deadly grasp. Clayton stuck his tongue out at Daryl, but before Daryl could react, Chester wrapped his arm around Clayton's neck and pulled him along the beach towards the cliffs. Hayden looked down at Red, "I take it you two are gonna stay here for a while?"

"Yes sir..." Red smiled and nodded after Clayton and Chester, "You boys go have some fun."

"Sure gonna miss you two sweethearts." Merle winked and Red snorted with a smile,

"Yeah, whatever Merle!" Red waved and the boys walked off with one another, each holding a beer in their hands. Red leaned forward in her chair, eyeing Hayden, "And you boys be careful on those cliffs!"

"Is that what we're here for? The cliffs?" Harli smiled and Red leaned back in her chair, shaking her head,

"No... they just like to go have pissin' contests to see who can do the best tricks off those damn cliff edges. They do it all the time."

"Mind me asking... who is Chester? Neither you or Hayden introduced us to each other." Harli leaned her head back on the chair and stared back at Red. Red smiled,

"Sorry about that... Chester is Hayden's little brother. A twenty three year old that acts like he's five."

"Oh, him and Clayton must be the best of friends then." Harli laughed and Red snickered under her breath,

"Yeah... while you were gone away at college, and when I started dating Hayden, Clayton always hung out with me and him and Chester finally met."

"Well that's good. At least my brother has someone kind of around his age to hang out with." Harli gasped when the puppy jumped onto her lap, his sharp little claws digging into her belly. She grabbed him from under his front legs, "Excuse me you little runt!"

"He sure is a cute little bugger, ain't he?" Red leaned over in her chair and scratch the pup, his heard turning over Harli's hand in attempts to bite Red, "Ain't got a name?"

"No... not that Daryl's told me anyways. He's just been calling him _mutt_." Harli set the puppy back down on the sand under the umbrella and wiggled a stick in front of his face. With the puppy now preoccupied, Harli looked back at Red through her sunglasses, "Although a name did come to mind..."

"What's that?" Red asked curiously and Harli scratched the pups back with her fingers,

"Ruckus."

"Ruckus? That's a damn good name for a little runt like him."

"Do you think Daryl will like it?" Harli asked and Red nodded,

"Oh sure! If you don't offer him the name the poor dog's gonna be called mutt for the rest of its life." Red smiled and nodded, "Speaking of Daryl... you shoulda saw the look on his face when he saw you takin' off your dress. If his jaw wasn't held to his face so well by his thick muscles I swear it woulda fell off."

"Oh god..." Harli covered her face with her hand, "I didn't want to draw attention."

"How could you _not_!? Look girl I know you don't think so but you are damn pretty."

"_HEY HARLI!"_

The girls looked around once they heard Harli's name being echoed through the cavern. Harli looked around for the culprit and heard the shout again. Her ears followed the echo and she looked up, seeing a figure standing on top of one of the train bridges. Harli shot up in her seat as she watched her little brother wave down at her, "Clayton!? Get the hell down from there!"

"Fat chance!" He shouted back and she watched Chester stepping over next to Clayton cautiously. Red jumped to her feet as well,

"Boy you better get down there! If the water don't kill you when you hit it I sure as hell will!" She shouted loudly and an uproar from the crown brewing on the edge of the beach cheered Clayton on,

"_Jump! Jump! Jump!"_

"That god damn show off! At least my Hayden ain't stupid enough to do it!"

"_Hey babe!_" Hayden shouted from the top down at her and Red's mouth dropped wide open. Merle and Daryl followed after him and they all stood on the edge of the bridge in a spread out line. The two women became infuriated,

"Get down from there god dammit!"

"You guys are as stupid as stupid gets!" Harli called up and the four men ignored them. Daryl called down next,

"Go big or go home!"

Red and Harli gasped when the five leapt off the large bridge, Clayton doing a front flip, as well as Daryl. Their bodies landed into five intense splashes and the crowd on the beach cheered violently. Harli and red took off running towards the edge of the beach, waiting for the five to reemerge to the surface. It was after six intense seconds that they finally popped up to the top of the water, their arms swinging over their heads as they swam back to shore. Harli and Red let out their held breaths and Red rubbed her forehead, wiping off the washes of fear and stress. "I swear these boys are going to be the death of me..."

"Oh man... I hit the water pretty damn hard." Clayton rubbed his stomach, his bare chest marked with a large red blot of skin.

"Now that we jumped off that mother... we won't have a problem with those damn cliffs." Merle wiped his hand down his face, ridding his skin of excess water. Daryl smirked,

"Sure you can keep up with us?"

"Yeah Merle... looks like you're already gettin' tired." Hayden laughed and Merle snorted challengingly,

"Just keep runnin' your mouth there, boys!"

"Ugh... those guys are idiots..." Red shook her head and turned around back towards their designated spots. Harli gave one last glance at the boys, seeing that they were alright. But as she stared at both Daryl and Merle, she wondered why they didn't take off their tank tops before jumping into the water.

"Oh no, no, no! You girl's aint' gettin' outta it that easy!" Clayton smiled and walked up to them. Harli turned around,

"I'm not jumping off any cliffs!" Harli knew what Clayton was going to say and Clayton grinned,

"Yes you are. We didn't come all the way out here for you to just sit here and tan!"

"Come on Harli. If we do it now they _might_ leave us alone later..." Red walked up behind her and Harli looked over her shoulder,

"But what about the puppy?"

"He's passed out under your chair." Red smiled and rested her arm around Harli's shoulders, pulling her along, "He'll be fine while we're gone."

"You guys are all slow!" Merle shouted as he was already crawling up the trail leading to the cliffs, Daryl, Hayden, and Chester all close behind him. Clayton wheeled around in the sand and jogged towards the trail, as well as Red and Harli.

Harli was the last to climb, her hands hooking onto rocks as she steadied herself up the steep trail. She meekly tagged along and her heart began to throb hard against her chest upon looking over her shoulder to see how high she was. Clenching her eyes shut, Harli continued up the path, knowing she couldn't stop there. Finally, her tired legs stepped onto solid and level ground once reaching the flat top, seeing many teenagers and young adults crowded around the edge of the cliffs. Some had crawled down the side to get to the lower cliffs; those who were too afraid to jump from twenty plus feet in the air. Harli swallowed a hard, stubborn lump down her throat as she looked over the side of the edge, the water seeming farther than it really was. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back and watched a few people plunge off the rocks into the sparkling water below. Harli took a deep breath, "I don't know about this..."

"What? You scared?" Clayton asked and Harli quickly looked into his blue eyes,

"If I said I was can I just go back down?"

"Sure..." Clayton pointed to the edge of the rock, "Get to jumpin' and you can be down there in a flash!"

Harli heard a shriek and saw Hayden flip Red over his shoulder, taking off in a dead run towards the cliff along with his little brother Chester. In one swift jump, the two disappeared over the edge and Harli waited for a few seconds, hearing their loud splash below. Harli took a couple steps back and Clayton laughed, "Now Hayden's got the right idea!"

Clayton whirled around to his sister with a sly smile on his face. Harli put her hands up defensively while taking a few more steps back as she watched Merle front flip off into the water, "You know I'm afraid of heights, Clay!" Harli felt coolness on her back as she stepped into someone, turning her gaze over her shoulder to see Daryl.

"Faster you jump off the damn rock the faster you can get back to the beach!"

"But I-" Her sentence was cut short when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and she immediately began to thrash about, "I'm going to kill you both!"

Clayton and Daryl laughed at her attempts to get away, Harli feeling her body being tossed over a shoulder. She couldn't tell who it was and didn't bother figure it out as she saw the ground rush out from under her. The lake stared her in the face and she clenched her eyes shut as the force of her body plunged down towards the water. Sooner than she knew it, whoever had a hold of her let her go and she sunk deep into the water, the chilliness of the lake washing over her hot skin. Harli held still for a moment under the water, letting the relief of the coolness continue to touch her skin. As she was starting to run out of breath, Harli swung her arms up and pumped her body towards the surface of the water. Her legs kicked and her head broke to the warm air, Harli taking a gasp to fill her hungry lungs. wiping the water from her eyes, she opened them and stared around her to see Clayton and Daryl with triumphant smiles on their faces. Harli's teeth clenched and she growled, "You guys are assholes!"

"Yeah whatever!" Daryl waved his hand and began to swim to shore, Clayton quickly following after him,

"You wanted down, sis... so we brought you down!" Clayton called and Harli snorted the remaining water out of her nose. With a few quick coughs, she swung her arms over her head and pumped her legs, her body moving through the waters resistance to get back to shore. Her feet met with steady ground and she pulled herself out of the lake, rubbing the water off her face and flicking it off her fingers.

'_Bad idea...'_ Daryl couldn't help but stare at her wetness, seeing water dripping off her chin and disappearing through the cleavage of her chest. The water on her tan flesh only accented her skin as it glistened in the boring sunlight. With her wet hair out of its ponytail, it raggedly stuck to her skin and curled around her face promiscuously. He watched as Harli adjusted her strapless top once she felt it sliding down her body from the impact of the water.

She looked good in black.

Harli curled her wet hair over the base of her neck and walked awkwardly through the sand, like everyone, back towards her awaiting group. Hayden, Merle, and Chester were already scrambling up the trail to get more action off the rocks. Clayton smacked his hand on Daryl's shoulder, "Keep those hankerin' eyes to yourself."

"Dunno what you're talkin' bout." Daryl shook his head and turned around abruptly, quickly making way up towards the cliffs once again.

"You alright, girl?" Red asked and Harli nodded, stopping by the trail. Red smiled, "Will you go again... with me?"

"I guess..." Harli smiled while staring up at the cliffs and Red looked at her surprised,

"Well... I thought you were going to put up a fight!" Red turned around and Harli followed close behind her, the two quickly going up to the top.

As the cousins got to the top, Harli watched as Hayden and Merle stood on the edge, the two about to face off to see who the better trickster was. Merle may have been an old dog but he was as young as a five year old at heart. But just as the two were ready to jump, Daryl ran up behind his brother, accompanied by Chester, and the two shoved their older siblings off the cliffs. With hysterical laughs, the two stood on the edge and watched their brothers plop into the water gracelessly. Harli smiled and ran forward to take her chance, Red watching her curiously as Harli shoved her hands against Daryl's back. Daryl's arms swung violently as he tried to catch his balance, swinging around just as he lost it and latching onto Harli's hand. Harli gasped as she was yanked forward along with him and closed her eyes just in time as she dove head first into the water.

Feeling the intensity of hitting the water, Harli immediately retreated to the surface and gasped for air. her eyes opened and she spotted Daryl swimming towards shore, looking over his shoulder at her. Harli narrowed her eyes and kicked her legs as she swam after him, "You're not getting away that easy!"

"What the hell you gonna do?" Daryl asked challengingly as he stepped onto dry land, Harli quick on her feet behind him. Daryl walked backwards and Harli stumbled forward in the sand, pursuing after him.

"You sure are cocky, you know that!"

"Hey, you brought it on yourself it ain't my fault you fell!" Daryl barked back and Harli shoved her hands against his rigid chest. Daryl stumbled back and tripped over a tree root, Harli yelping as she tripped over the same root. The two slammed against each other, Daryl feeling Harli's wet hair clinging to his skin. Harli froze as she lied on Daryl's chest, swearing her face turned redder than a boiled lobster. She choked down the air in her throat and her fingers dug into the sand on each side of Daryl's chest. Harli lifted her head and the two's eyes met, staring at each other timidly. Daryl cleared his throat, "You can get the hell off me now."

"I can't..." Harli breathed and Daryl saw the embarrassment in her eyes. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed her shoulder in order to pry her off,

"Why?"

"Don't, please!" She grabbed onto his wrists and continued to press her chest down hard on Daryl, "My... my top fell off." Daryl froze and stared back with the same embarrassment in his eyes that mirrored in Harli's.

Harli was topless, on top of him, and soaking wet.

"Well put the damn thing back on!"

"I will when you close your eyes!"


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I'm really happy with the response this story is getting. I'm really happy you all like it so far! I just want to remind everyone that this has **_**nothing**_** to do with FTW and is a story completely on its own. I want to take Harli in a different direction and experiment with this story that I couldn't do in FTW! New reviewers are always welcome :)**

**Enjoy!**

Hayden's boat pulled back into the port of downtown Waleska, the dusky sky burning over the horizon late in the day. Harli was exhausted after the day out at The Gallows, and to be true to herself, she had more fun than she though she would've had. She saw a side of Daryl she didn't even know he had. He was a rugged mechanic and always seemed like he was in a bad mood; hell, every time she saw him and Merle together they were arguing. Harli blushed at the thought of her top rolling off her boobs after she landed on Daryl earlier that day. It was awkward for both of them as she tried to put the top back on, but eventually, she managed to do so.

Harli stepped out of the boat with her bag, helping Red with her things as the boys took care of other boat stuff. Daryl and Merle had already loaded their boat up on the trailer hooked to the younger Dixon's old Ford. The two Dixon boys walked up to Hayden as he stepped out of the water vehicle, "Need help with anything?"

"Nah... thanks." Hayden shook his head at Daryl,

"I'm gonna go with you straight to the bar. Daryl's gonna drop our boat off at the house and head over afterwards." Merle said and nodded, "That okay with you?"

"Yeah." Hayden tossed Merle the keys to his Chevy, "Go grab my truck and we'll load this thing up."

"You goin' to the bar with us, too?" Red asked Harli curiously and Harli looked to her, then down to her sundress,

"I can... but I'd like to go back to my house and get a change of clothes."

"Really? You look fine in that." Red nodded at her short sundress and Harli shook her head,

"Yeah but I'm still wet. If I'm gonna be out late tonight then I want to at least be comfortable."

"I don't know if I'm going to have the time to take you to your house..." Red ran a hand through her gleaming black hair, "I have to get to the bar and talk to my boss. I told him I would tonight."

"Oh well... you can always just drop me off and I could drive."

"But I wanted you to drink with me tonight!" Red whined and Harli sighed while running her hand through her hair. Red turned around as Daryl passed her with an ice chest gripped on his shoulder, "Hey Daryl? Can you do me-well us- a favor?"

"Why should I?" Daryl stopped and eyed Red and she rolled hers,

"Can you run Harli by her house so she can gather a change of clothes? That way she can just ride with you back to the bar." Red proposed and both Daryl and Harli exchanged awkward eye contact with one another.

"Just be goin' outta the way of my plans." Daryl shook his head and Red pouted,

"Don't be a dick. It's not like I'm asking you to drive to the other side of the country."

"Yeah, whatever." Daryl shook his head and walked past them. Red turned around with a slightly triumphant smile,

"I'll take that as a yes."

"He doesn't need to take me. I don't want to be a bother." Harli argued softly and Red pushed at her shoulder,

"Don't be like that. Besides, your house is on the way to his." Red grabbed her bag and hoisted in onto her shoulder, giving Harli one last look from her gleaming blue eyes before walked past her. Harli huffed and grabbed her own, turning around and eyeing Daryl's truck sitting atop the boat launch. Hesitantly stepping forward, she walked towards him and off the boat docks while watching him dink around with the trailer. Daryl took notice to her watching him and stared at her insecure face,

"Well? Go get in the damn truck don't just sit there and stare at me." He huffed and turned back to the trailer, "It's rude."

Harli turned and pulled open the old trucks squeaky passengers' side door. Surprisingly, it was cleaner than she expected. Most vehicles driven by males in her past experience had dirty and cluttered cars. But almost every time she got into a woman's car it was ten times worse. Smiling at the thought, she tossed her bag in the back of the truck and jumped in, careful not to wake the half asleep puppy in the middle of the bench seat. As she shut the door, she felt the truck wobble and looked through the back window to see Daryl trudging around the back of the boat to make sure everything was secure. With one last shout towards Merle, Daryl retreated to the driver's seat of his truck and turned the ignition. Throwing the stick shifted into gear, the truck slowly putted off through the crowded parking lot as Daryl cut in front of all the awaiting cars to leave. He smirked upon hearing people shouting at him from their windows and honking at him violently as if trying to antagonize him. Harli was half expecting him to jump out and beat in the face of every angry bystander; but to her surprise, he only seemed amused by their frustrations.

As they made way down the road, Harli notice the black pup shift and rest his head on Daryl's lap. He looked down and tried to push him off, but the pup refused to move and closed his eyes to sleep in hopes Daryl would leave him alone. Daryl scoffed and looked back through the windshield, Harli smiling and looking over at him, "I thought of a name for the little guy."

"Oh yeah?" Daryl huffed and chewed on the nail of his thumb, "And what would that be?"

"Ruckus." Harli looked out the window at the downtown scenery quickly disappearing behind them as they made way into the suburbs, "I thought that'd be a fitting name for a little runt like him. Merle was telling me about all the '_carnage'_ he caused throughout your house in the past couple days."

"Ruckus, huh?" Daryl said more to himself than his female passenger. His eyes narrowed in deliberation of the suggested name for the once orphaned puppy. He had to admit to himself, it was a pretty interesting name for the dog.

Harli directed Daryl through the small neighborhood leading to her house, his truck dragging the boat along behind them. Daryl pulled up to her small, two bedroom house and stared at it, seeing the tame landscaping that was her yard. Turning the engine off, Daryl looked over at her, "How long you gonna be?"

"Not long..." Harli popped open the door and stepped out, "You're welcome to come inside while you wait... there might be a beer in my fridge that's calling your name."

Daryl watched her walk around the front of his truck and up the small concrete steps to her front door. She stopped and pulled out a ring of keys, unlocking her door and tossing a quick green eyed glance back at him. As she left the door cracked open once she disappeared, Daryl looked down at the slumbering pup on his bench seat. Quietly, he popped open his door and stepped out, shutting the heavy door and growling at its loud sound. Daryl moved into her house and took a look around, taking in the sweet scent that radiated through the air. He shut the door behind him, walking past the couch in the living room and eyeing her large flat screen television. A flash of black caught his eye and he stopped behind a chair, narrowing his eyes at the big black cage in the corner. There sat Gumbo on one of his perches, preening his black feathers and eyeing Daryl suspiciously as he did so. A couple discontent purrs came from his long black beak as he puffed up his feathers challengingly towards Daryl. Daryl's eyes tore from the crow and he moved into the kitchen cautiously, staring at the refrigerator. Tossing a glance over his shoulder, he pulled open the fridge and his eyes immediately found the beer Harli spoke of.

Popping off the cap, he leaned on the counter and took a swig of the cold bottle, taking in the savory taste that was alcohol. Upon feeling something on his leg, his head flicked down as he saw a flash of orange. Nacho stared up at him, his tail twiddling and his chubby body leaning up against Daryl's leg. He let out a low meow from his throat, "Get the hell away from me." Daryl softly pushed the cat away from his leg, but Nacho only walked back towards the backwoods brute and rubbed back on his leg. Daryl grunted in his throat and pushed the cat once again, hearing Nacho's claws scraping across the wood floor of the kitchen. But yet, the cat only gave him a goofy stare and went back for more.

"Sorry... he's very friendly." Harli came out from the hallway leading to her bedroom and scooping her thirteen-pound cat up into her arms, "He doesn't get to see people a whole lot."

"A cat and a crow?" Daryl took a quick drink of his beer along with the shake of his head, "Never seen that one before."

"Yeah well... wasn't really a choice I could make." Harli shouldered her purse and tossed her fat feline on her couch. Daryl followed her into the living room towards the front door,

"And how's that?"

"Gumbo over there... kind fell into my lap." Harli nodded towards her crow before stepping out of her house, holding the door open for Daryl. She locked the door behind him as he walked down the steps, his beer hanging loosely in his fingers. "I was jogging through a park by my school one day and I heard him cheeping. He fell out of his nest... so I took him home and doctored him up."

"Might as well open your own animal rescue." Daryl voiced as he pulled open his door, watching her walk around his truck and back into the passenger's seat. Harli smiled and pulled the door shut,

"Yeah... people think it's odd; I know."

"Sure are somethin' else, Waldgrave." Daryl shut his door and restarted the ignition.

**.:o:.**

"So I'm gonna need you to work double shifts for the next couple weekends while Candy is outta town. Think you can manage that?" Marty and Red walked out of his office back towards the front of the bar. Red nodded,

"Yeah I can try... when is Candy supposed to be back?"

"The following Monday after the fourth of July." Marty nodded and the two stopped behind the swinging door leading back into the bar. Red hooked her thumbs in the slits of her pockets,

"You know I'm gonna make you double my working salary the weekend of the fourth, right?" She smirked smugly and Marty laughed to himself,

"Wouldn't have it any other way girl! Now you have fun on your night off... no gettin' in any fights. Can't have my best girl lookin' like she took a round with Mike Tyson before some of my most important weekends of the year!" Red smiled and put her hand on Marty's shoulder,

"Oh Mart... you know I'm never the one that starts the fights!" She patted his shoulder gingerly, "Or the one that looks like a meatball by the time the fight is over." Marty laughed and slapped his own hand on her shoulder,

"You're an ornery little woman, you know that!?" The two shoved out from behind the door, the swing of it almost hitting Red as she stepped out into the large, noisy room. Marty looked over at Russ, Merle, Mitch, and Jess, "I'm gonna have to keep a close eye on that uncle of yours... not to mention those Dixon's. Boys cost me three hundred dollars in tables!"

"Rip 'em a new asshole Marty!" Red called as the sixty-something year old walked off into the crowded bar. Red smiled and turned around, moving around a few people as she made way towards the bar. As she pushed through the small, waist high door leading behind the bar. She smacked Candy on her ass and Candy jumped,

"Dear Lord!" Turning around, she grabbed Red's arm and held up her fist menacingly. Quickly taking in Red's familiar face, Candy smiled through her red lipstick, "God damn, Red, I was about to tear off your pretty little face!"

"You're too nice for that!" Red waved her hand and leaned down, pulling out two large glasses from under the bar. Red heard Candy smack her own glasses on the bar as men were beginning to order drinks,

"Did you have fun out at The Gallows?" Candy asked as she began pouring shots for her demanding customers. Red began to mix drinks for herself, Hayden, Chester, and Clayton,

"Yeah it was a blast! Hopin' you can make it out with us next time."

"I sure hope so." Candy smiled and her greenish eyes snuck a peek of Clayton through her blonde bangs, "Just as long as that smokin' Clayton Waldgrave goes along too."

"Ain't he a bit young for you?" Red asked with a smirk and Candy shook her head,

"Only by a couple years..." She mumbled and Red snorted,

"Sure are one funny gal there, Candy." Red completed her drinks and grabbed a tray to carry them out to the boys. She felt a hand tapping her shoulder violently and looked up to see Candy's face staring off into the growing crowd of customers.

"Look who just walked into the fuckin' door." Red followed Candy's gaze and cocked her head to look over a few people crowding the bar. She caught her mouth from draping open as her blue eyes began to burn at the sight of a familiar face.

Felicia Garwood.

Red's fingernails dug into the wood of the bar and her glaring eyes kept themselves situated on the blonde female as she slithered through the crowd of tables. Slowly, Felicia's eyes moved towards the bar and caught Red's eye, her body freezing in her sight. Red narrowed her eyes, "Well... look what skank trash slinked into my bar."

"Meredith Waldgrave... been a long time." Felicia acknowledged Red's glaring eyes as she closed the gap between them, the only thing holding Red back from strangling the blonde was the bar. Red tilted her head,

"Got a lot of balls showin' your herpes infested face around my bar. Get ran out of another town by an angry wife again?"

"Ouch... sorry hun, name callin' ain't gonna scare me away." Felicia shook her head, unfazed by Red's accusations, "Oh and... last time I checked this was Marty's bar."

"You best be wise and watch where you're steppin' round here. I'll be watchin' your every move."

"Hope the view is good as the pickin' these days." Felicia looked over her shoulder at all the people in the bar and grill. Red scoffed,

"Tryin' to find another married man?"

"You are quite persistent, ain't you honey?"

"Just feedin' off what you give me. Not my fault you were the town whore." Red snarled and Felicia only smiled,

"Not my fault there ain't a boy in this town man enough to handle me. Although... I do have one in mind." Felicia looked over her shoulder, searching for a familiar face in the crowd, "Oh, there's that Merle Dixon. Wonder where his growlin' baby brother may be?"

"Dixon's?" Red looked over at Merle and her uncle Russell, along with their mechanic friends, "You're just on the feeding list, aren't you? Besides, Daryl is off with my baby cousin. The two have become quite the little number in the past couple weeks."

"Is that so? I don't mind a little competition."

"Babe, you ain't got nothin' on that cousin of mine. She's ten times the woman you are in every look and way."

"Mmm, Red you're as harsh as those burnin' eyes of yours." Felicia tossed a look over to Hayden, Clayton, and Chester as they waited for Red to return to their table, "Heard you were datin' none other than Mr. Hayden Byers. Better keep a tight leash on him... don't want him strayin' off like the last one, do you?" Felicia smiled cockily and winked at Red before turning around and walking towards Merle and the boys. Red slammed her fist down on the wooden bar, Candy jumping at her anger,

"God damn girl, you really need to get that anger of yours out before ya'll blow up this joint." Candy poured a shot for a customer and stared at the black haired beauty.

"Only thing that's gonna blow up in here is my fist breakin' all her pretty little teeth as she swallows 'em whole." Red put her drinks on a platter and quickly left from behind the bar.

"Hey babe, what took you so long?" Hayden asked as his brown eyes looked up at his girlfriend curiously. Red huffed and sat down in her chair after slamming the platter down on the table and almost spilling their drinks everywhere. Chester and Clayton meekly looked at each other and cautiously took their drinks from the platter, sipping on the mixed alcohol, "Somethin' happen at the bar? Whose ass do I gotta kick?"

"Don't worry about it. It's nothin'..." Red shook her head and brushed off Felicia's words, trying to get back into her good spirits to have a good time. Hayden sighed and grabbed his drink,

"So as I was sayin'..."

Red looked to the door and saw her familiar cousin's face walk in, along with Daryl closely behind her. Red threw her hand up and waved at her baby cousin frantically, "Harli! Oh Harli, over here!" Red watched as Harli's head moved towards her and her green eyes locked on Red. She smiled and looked back at Daryl, her lips moving in inaudible words over the loud crowd and distance between them.

"Yo, sis!?" Clayton shouted and waved at Harli, seeing her glancing at him briefly. Daryl caught sight of Merle and shook his head at Harli, brushing her away towards Red. Apprehensively, Harli moved towards her cousin, watching Daryl make way towards his big brother through the dense bar and grill. Harli made her own way through the crowd, bumping into drinking bystanders and apologizing as she went by. Red pulled out a chair for her cousin and Harli wrapped the strap of her bag around the back, taking a seat in between Clayton and Red.

"Was wonderin' when the hell you were gonna get here. Took forever!"

"No it didn't... I wasn't even gone that long!" Harli leaned back in her seat and stared at Red. Red planted her alcoholic concoction in front of Harli,

"Who cares! Get to drinkin' woman!"

"What are you gonna drink? I'm not going to steal yours." Harli protested and Red pursed her lips and quickly leaned over Harli, snatching Clayton's drink from his hands,

"H-hey!?" Clayton grabbed back at his drink but Red kept it far from his reach as she began slurping on the fruity drink, "Who do you think you are!?"

"Your older cousin." Red smiled and took a swig from the glass, "Besides, you're not even old enough to drink."

"That's alright..." Clayton jumped up from his chair and smiled, "I'll just go talk to my dad!"

"Clayton!" Harli called after him and he quickly strolled through people and made a beeline towards their father. Harli's eyes fell on Daryl and a promiscuous young blonde woman leaning over the table towards him with a smile plastered on her face. Her jaw tightened and Red took notice to Harli's curious, yet unhappy eyes,

'_Great... the skank is going after Daryl.'_ She mumbled to herself in her head. Red opened her mouth to speak to Harli,

"Who is that?" Harli's green eyes moved to Red and she glanced over at Dixon's table, seeing a few shots of whiskey sitting in front of Daryl courtesy of big brother Merle. A hard lump rolled down Red's throat,

"That's Felicia Garwood... town whore." She took a large drink from her glass and Harli's fingers tapped annoyingly against her own. Taking a quick drink, she looked back at the unrestrained blonde,

"I feel like I'm catching gonorrhea just by staring at her." Harli said wittily and Red smacked her hand on the table and laughed,

"Nice!" Red took a drink of her alcohol and looked back over at Felicia, "She's like a public bathroom... everyone comes and goes in her as they please." Harli held her hand against her mouth, almost spitting out the alcohol in her mouth in a stifled laugh. Red laughed as Harli couched down her drink,

"Oh god!" Harli laughed and wiped her wet lips with the back of her hand, "That's horrible!"

"Yet true." Hayden laughed while leaning back in his chair, "She's pretty bad."

"How so?" Harli asked and looked to Hayden, "I've never seen her around here before."

"That's because she hasn't been here for the past few months." Red said while staring at Harli and sipping on her drink. Harli looked to her and Red continued, "She was having an affair with a married man and once the wife found out... she basically ran Felicia outta town. She's been gone off in Atlanta for a while I guess..."

"You sure know a lot of about her." Harli stated and Hayden nodded,

"They've had quite the colorful past together." Hayden smirked and Red and she scoffed,

"Yeah with my fist in her face." Red saw the questions in Harli's eyes and Red set down her drink of the bar table, "I was dating this guy a couple years ago... found out he was sleepin' with Miss Siren there behind my back."

"Wow... I'm sorry."

"So ever since then I've hated her guts and every time I see her face I just want to light it on fire!" Red balled her fist and the bones in her finger cracked from the tension. Hayden and Harli exchanged glances as the two took drinks from their glasses. Hayden couldn't help but smirk as he down his tough alcohol,

"I wouldn't mind watchin' that myself."

"I know you would." Red laughed and Hayden narrowed his eyebrows, looking around the table,

"Where the hell did that kid brother of mine go?"

"Maybe he slithered away while you weren't paying attention?" Harli suggested and Hayden groaned, tipping his glass back over his face and sucking in the rest of his drink. Slamming his glass down at the table, he stood to his feet,

"Guess I'll go look for him. The boy don't know how to keep his hands off the ladies..."

"Just like his big brother..." Red mumbled and Hayden shot her a look before walking off into the crowd in pursuit of finding his little brother.

"Is Hayden really like that?" Harli asked and Red smiled, shaking her head with a laugh,

"No, I just like to give the boy a hard time."

**.:o:.**

"God that shit tastes like gasoline..." Red grumbled as she slammed her shot glass down on the table. Candy, who was on break, sat with the cousins at their table,

"Moonshine will do that to ya, babe." Candy hissed as she placed her shot glass down on the table across from Red's. Red looked over at Harli, seeing the far off look on her face,

"Don't want a shot?" Red asked and Harli was knocked from her thoughts as she looked at her older cousin,

"No... not right now. I'm not looking to get drunk tonight."

"But you promised!" Red's voice was already beginning to slur the words sliding off her tongue as she and Candy had taken shot after shot. Not to mention the ones she already shared with Harli,

"I said I would _drink_ with you... I don't want to get plastered." Harli rubbed her face embarrassingly, "You know how I can get when I drink."

"Yeah, you turn into a raging bitch." Red laughed and poured more beer down her throat,

"An innocent little thing like you?" Candy asked and leaned against the table, "No..."

"Believe it sister. It's either or with ol' Harli..." Red eyed Harli and saw her trying to avoid eye contact meekly, "Girl can be sweet as pie but once you get on her bad side it's like feelin' the wrath of God being rained down on you."

"I know what that feels like..." Candy smiled at Red accusingly while gripping the rim of a beer bottle with her lips. Harli glanced back over her shoulder as inconspicuously as she could, staring at the sight unfolding in front of her eyes. Daryl and Felicia were now playing pool, Daryl's face beginning to get red with drunkenness. Daryl played with Merle against Clayton and Hayden, Felicia standing behind them and laughing along with their jokes. Harli was tempted to get up and leave the table to join them, and probably would if they had invited her to. But not wanting to listen to anymore of Red's whining as she was already started to feel the effects of the alcohol, Harli stayed put in her seat.

"Quit lookin' over there Harli... it's only gonna keep bringin' you down." Red pulled Harli's face back in their direction. Candy leaned back in her chair and hung her arm from the back of it,

"Gotta thing for the baby Dixon?"

"No. It's nothing like that..." Harli denied and Red scoffed with the shake of her head,

"Comin' from the girl who rubbed her bare boobs on his chest earlier."

"That was an accident!" Harli defended over their childish laughing and Candy's blue-green eyes looked to Harli,

"It ain't a bad thing you like the Dixon. For some reason both him and Merle just have that pull on women, not to mention Daryl is one hell of a man." Candy hummed in her throat and shook her head, "Praise the Lord he wear's those sleeveless shirts."

"He makes all the ladies panties drop!" Red smiled and Harli sighed, burying her face in her hands. Candy laughed,

"Apparently not Harli's yet."

"That's because my little Cuz ain't easy like Miss Black-Hole over there..." Red cocked her head towards Felicia, snarling at the woman as she leaned over Daryl on the pool table. Red returned her gaze back at the table and plucked her beer from the table, swigging on it.

"Here Candy! Brought you three more." Candy and Red's coworker set down three more shots, this time of Fireball Whiskey, for all three of the girls. Red grabbed the shot glass and smiled,

"Thanks, Sarah."

"I'll be back on in a few minutes." Candy nodded with a smile and the younger bartender retreated back behind the bar. Red pushed a shot glass in front of Harli,

"Come on, woman. At least one more with me before I'm completely gone." Harli stared down at the shot glass, sighing and gripping it in her fingers. Bringing the shot glasses up, the three women toasted before dropping the alcohol down their throats. Harli tasted the hot cinnamon flavor of the whiskey as it burned down her throat and dropped into her belly. Immediately she felt her stomach warm with the influence of the alcohol and she quickly down a large swig of beer to chase down the taste. Harli closed her eyes and shivered, twisted her head and hearing a laugh come from Red's wet lips,

"Can't handle the liquor?"

"I can... just been a long time since I drank hard A." Harli replied and wiped the stray liquid from her lips. Candy jumped to her feet and drank the rest of her beer,

"Alright ladies... suppose I should be getting' back to work."

"Aw... sure wish we could all hang out longer." Red pouted and Harli put out her hand towards Candy with a smile,

"It was nice meeting you."

"Nice meetin' you too Ms. Waldgrave. I'll be sure to see ya'll around more with my girlfriend Meredith here!" Candy softly shook Harli's hand and gave her a wink before waving at Red and turning around to return to her bartending duties. Harli looked at Red,

"Candy sure is nice."

"Oh yeah, the girl's a little flirt. I love her." Red slurred and looked back at Harli with a smile. The microphone to the speakers overhead clicked on, causing the two girls to look up at the muffled voice overhead,

"_Alright everyone! Clear the floor for line dancin' time! It's now nine o'clock!"_

"Oh my gosh!" Red gasped and leaned forward in her chair towards Harli, "Line dancin'! I forgot it was Friday night! Will you dance with me, please!?"

"I don't know Red... it's been such a long time."

"Oh don't give me that shit! Remember the dance to _Nashville Shuffle_? The Cowboy Cha-Cha?" Red asked and Harli nodded while shrugging her shoulders,

"Somewhat."

"I'll go have Marty put the song on... they play it all the time and I still remember the dance! Will you please, please, _please_ go with me?" Red stared into Harli's green eyes with hers gleaming on their own. Harli sighed and smiled, patting Red's hand,

"Yeah... I'll go with you."

"Yes!" Red hissed and jumped to her feet breaking through the diminishing crown and stopping at the edge of the bar. A few people already crowded the dance floor, some sober and some drunk, and Harli stood to her feet, walking through the crowd. Red met her on the floor and the music already started, Red grabbing Harli's hand and bringing her out further on the floor. Everyone lined up quickly and Red and Harli stood next to each other, their thumbs hooking into the pockets of their jean shorts.

The music began and Harli stepped awkwardly along with everyone. Red was more fluent, even though she was starting to get a little drunk, but she got to dance every Friday and Saturday night when she worked. Slowly and steadily, Harli's legs synced up with Red as the memory of the line dance came back to her. Harli smiled as the heels of both hers and everyone else's boots slammed against the hardwood floors. Her hips began to move sensually along with the music, looking over to see Red's black hair bouncing along with her body as their limbs moved faster. Red smiled back at her younger cousin and the deep voice of the country singer overhead filled their ears and made them one with the music. As Harli flipped her brown hair from her face, she caught the eyes of Daryl. But his striking blue eyes didn't stop her from moving along with the crowd, hearing the audience cheer, clap, and whistle at them all as they danced. Harli continued to hold eye contact with Daryl seeing his body swaying slightly from the liquor in his system. His demanding eyes watched her body move along with the music. It may not have been the most carnal dancing, but Harli's hips and long legs told a different story. Harli noticed the glaring look in Felicia's eyes as Daryl watched her dance, clearly jealous that the redneck wasn't paying all his attention to her. It made Harli smile when Felicia tapped on Daryl's shoulder and he looked at her briefly before returning his gaze to the dance floor.

Finally, the music slowed and came to a stop, as well as the dancers out on the square floor. Laughing and cheering, the dancers all congratulated one another on their fine country dancing. Red wrapped her arms around Harli's shoulders and her head swiveled drunkenly, "Oh! That was so much fun!"

"I'm gonna have to come here more often and get back into dancing. I forgot how much fun it was." Harli laughed and pulled Red back off the floor with her arm wrapped around her shoulder. Red sat back down in her chair and Harli wiggled her finger at Candy, signaling their want for another beer. Candy smiled and nodded, reaching down under the bar and retrieving their alcohol. Red ran her fingers through her curly black hair and smiled slyly at Harli,

"I saw that look you were givin' Daryl. Nicely done. Felicia actually looked jealous for once."

"Thanks..." Harli rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. She wasn't the one known for being sexy; unintentionally sometimes, but never intentionally. Harli liked it though. It felt good. Sarah quickly handed them their beers and Harli and Red put their bottles up in cheers for the young waitress. Red took a drink of her beer and smacked her lips,

"I'm so glad you came with me today... I've missed you so damn much you don't even know."

"I missed you too, Red. I forgot how much fun we used to have together. I'm glad I moved here to be closer to both you and Clayton."

"What about your pops?" Red asked and Harli looked to her, her lips hesitating in words. Harli nodded at Red,

"Him, too..." Harli's voice faded and she watched the dancers perform their new dance on a new song. Harli never really liked country music; it all sounded the same to her. But she did appreciate line dancing. It was so much fun to dance alone with so many people and not to mention the workout it gave the dancers.

As Harli's eyes glazed across the room and around the numerous faces crowding the air, she knitted her eyebrows at one in particular as she passed. Bringing her gaze back to the face, her entire body froze and her eyes widened in nothing by fear. A pair of dull blue eyes stared back at her and slowly, the man's face turned and moved towards the bars exit. Harli dropped her beer bottle and it crashed against the hardwood floors, shattering into pieces and spilling alcohol all over the place. She fell back out of her chair and scrambled back across the floor, her eyes locked on the man as he casually disappeared from the scene.

_Christopher._

Harli's jaw tightened and she felt some hands grabbing her arm, helping her back to her feet. Hearing Red's familiar voice, Harli looked into her concerned blue, reshot eyes, "Harli? Are you alright?"

"You alright miss?"

"Y-yeah... I'm fine, thanks." Harli pulled herself from the grasps of the watchful bystanders and managed to choke down a dry, bitter lump of air in her mouth. She didn't realize how hard she was breathing and Red put a hand on her shoulder warily,

"Is the alcohol gettin' to you or somethin'? Your face is practically white."

"I... I have to go." Harli grabbed the strap of her bag and tossed it on her shoulder violently,

"Wait Harli!" Red called after her cousin as Harli marched through the crowd, shoving through everyone and not bothering to apologize as she passed through. He legs felt heavy and weak as she burst through the bar doors, the flooding sound of music and conversation fading behind her ears as the doors closed behind her. Harli's green eyes darted back and forth with panic as if trying to catch a glimpse of Chris in the pale street lights of the down town sidewalk. People crowded around other stores and bars, laughing amongst each other and having a fun time. Harli pressed her hand against her chest and quickly looked for a cab to hail so she could go home.

Home safely.

Finally hailing a taxi, they were soon on their way back towards Harli's house; her leg bouncing anxiously during the ride as it felt like hours.

Harli stared at her dark door as she stepped into the scarce moonlight from the door of a taxi. Shutting the door behind her and after paying the cabbie, Harli stood by herself and continued to stare at her house. The taxi drove off and her arms began to shake, her eyes looking over her shoulder one last time before her legs jumped up the stairs. Her keys jingled in her shaking fingers and she struggled to open the locked door. But as she turned the doorknob, she realized it wasn't locked at all and hesitated to open her door. Gritted her teeth nervously, she shoved the door open and saw nothing but gleaming moonlight lighting her way through the kitchen windows. Harli secured both the locks on her front door and quickly turned on her light, seeing Gumbo's black eyes staring at her. She noticed his feathers were puffed up on his body, something he never usually did unless he was distressed. But at the sound of Nacho's low meow echoing through her ears, she was slightly as ease from her distress.

Harli moved to the back door and locked it. She checked every single window and made sure they were locked, shutting the curtains and rubbing her arms as she stepped back. All she could see in her mind was Christopher's looming face and it made her panic even more. While rubbing her hands on her cheeks, she quickly retreated to the bathroom to try and clear her head. The alcohol began to take its toll.

Turning on the light, Harli rushed in and gripped the sides of her sink, dipping her head between her shoulders. With her eyes clenched shut, she tried to steady her breathing and shaking limbs. It had been so long since she experienced so much fear that she felt like she was going to pass out. Her eyes snapped open and she twisted the handle to the cold water, cupping her hands and filling her hands with water. As it drained through the cracks of her fingers, she quickly pressed the cold water against her burning face, sighing at the relieving feel and dropping her hands back down to the sink.

Harli's heart seemed to stop as she stared at the mirror, her green eyes staring at the haunting sight before her. She didn't know how she didn't notice it once she walked in, making it even more frightening once she discovered it. On her mirror were words spelled out in red lipstick. Harli's feet backed her body up and her back pressed up against the wall as the words of the message written on the mirror formed in her head over and over again.

_**I told you I'd find you, filthy whore.**_


	9. Chapter 9

Harli stared at her television, not even knowing what exactly occupied its screen. It could have been the news, could have been a comedic sitcom, or could have been a cheesy, but gritty, horror film. She didn't know; all her eyes kept telling her was that they wanted to sleep. But Harli's brain wouldn't let them close. Every time they did she would hear a noise and immediately wake up, scan her house with a knife, and lay back down on the couch. Sometimes her brain would trick her into hearing noises and she mentally cursed to herself every time it happened. Nacho lied cuddled up to Harli's chest in a carefree slumber, covered halfway by her blanket. The only time he would be disturbed was when she would get up to check the house, check all the locks on every imaginable entrance to her abode, go to the bathroom, or get a drink.

So unimaginably tired. Harli was a lifeless body lying on her couch, her eyes glazed over with fatigue. The morning sun desperately tried to pierce the closed curtains in her living room. It wanted Harli to get up and start the day along with it, but after a few hours, the sun gave up and ascended over the top of her house in late morning. Harli, herself, didn't even know how long she stayed up that night. She knew she passed out for a couple hours on end, but other than that, she was too scared to fall asleep. Even if she did, nightmares haunted her and scared her little soul even more. All she could see when she closed her eyes was Christopher's face and the lipstick note carved into the bathroom mirror she discovered the late night before. At first, she thought it was the alcohol playing her head. But after she touched the red oil and smeared it on her fingers, her heart dropped into the fiery whiskey pits of her stomach upon realization. Christopher was back and this time there wasn't going to be anything to stop him.

Harli gasped and jumped at the blaring noise of her cell phone ringing and felt her heart trying to jump out of her chest. Pressing her hand against her sternum in attempts to calm her heart, she leaned up and grabbed her cellular device. Her tired eyes closed as she answered it and pressed the phone to her ear, "Hello...?"

"_Harli... What's up?"_ It was Red on the other side of the phone. Her voice sounded concern,

"Just sitting on my couch... trying to watch some TV." Harli voiced tiredly and rubbed the ball of her hand into one of her eyes. Relief washed through her eye upon closing,

"_What happened at the bar last night? you ran out like you saw a ghost or somethin'."_

"Nothing I just... the whiskey hit me pretty hard."

"_I don't know about that... even being a lightweight as much as you are I've never seen alcohol hit you like that."_ Red said doubtfully and Harli shook her head,

"First time for anything."

"_Well... okay."_ Red gave up quickly and easily, _"I just wanted to call to make sure you were alright. Anyways, I was wondering if you would come over today. Kind of have like a girl's day or somethin'."_

"I don't know... I'm pretty tired."

"_Why do you always gotta make excuses?"_ Red asked and Harli sighed to herself, not giving her cousin an answer_, "Just come over for a little bit... please?"_

Harli rubbed her hand on her face, sighing once again. Her head told her to go, but her body lazily moved with fatigued muscles in protest to her actions. Slapping her soft hand on her knee, she closed her eyes and nodded, "Alright... let me get ready and I'll be over there in a little bit."

"_See you then. Bye!"_ Harli could hear the excitement in her older cousin's voice even though Red didn't intend for it. The phone slid from Harli's hand and thumped onto her couch, Nacho lifting his feline torso up to investigate its fall. Looking up at her Harli, Nacho jumped off the couch and followed his surrogate mother into her bedroom as she readied for her day.

It was all so foreign to Harli; being as tired and immobile as she was. Normally she was vibrant and ready for the day by eight o'clock in the morning. But there she was, almost ten o'clock and still in her pajamas. Her arms struggled as she reached into her closet to grab a white V-neck t-shirt and her legs wobbled as approached her dresser. Pulling out a bra, camisole, and a pair of black shorts, Harli tossed them on lazily, not even bothering to pick up her dirty pajamas as she went about her room. Without socks, she put on a pair of dark brown, low-rise tennis shoes and tied their laces loosely around the tongue. Clawing her fingers in her hair, she tied a bun up on the back of her head and as if hung from the back of her skull, it felt like a million pounds. She grabbed her purse from a hook on her wall and draped the strap over her shoulder, feeling the softness of Nacho's fur brush up against her leg.

As she walked through the hallway, Harli stopped briefly and slowly turned her head towards the closed door of the bathroom. She placed her hand on the freezing cold handle, feeling an electric shock pulse through her body upon the touch of it. Yanking her hand back, she fearfully stepped away from the door and reentered the living room, staring at the bright screen of the television. Harli grabbed her car keys from her kitchen counter and turned off the TV, saying goodbye to her loyal animals. With one last walk around the house to check the locks, she finally stopped at her front door and left behind the wooden door. Double checking the locks on her front door, she closed her eyes and sighed to herself, trying not to be so paranoid.

Her old rusted Camaro putted down the streets of Waleska, slowly making way towards Red's house. All the people walking down the sidewalks of the beautiful summer day seemed to smile, no matter who they were. Harli found herself scanning almost every single face that she passed by on the street as if looking for her ex-boyfriend; her heart pounding when she stopped at stoplights briefly. Her car swerved lightly from her lack of sleep, Harli constantly looking in the rearview mirror for any sign of the police pulling her over for suspicions of drunk driving. That was the last thing she needed; tired driving was just as bad as drunk driving.

Finally, Harli parked her car on the sidewalk just outside of Red's house. The car door squeaked open and her shoes touched the concrete, her muscles aching as she struggled to get out of the driver's seat. She groaned and rubbed the bangs out of her face, slamming the door shut and walking across the concrete pathway towards the front door. Harli pulled up her hand to knock on the hardwood door but it opened before her knuckles could meet with it. Green eyes met bright blue as the two family members stared at each other, "Bout time you got here!"

"Sorry... there was a lot of traffic downtown this morning."

"Good God, Harli... what the hell happened to you?" Red closed the door behind Harli as she stepped into the house. Harli turned around to face Red,

"What do you mean?" Harli asked and Red stared at her for a moment, taking in Harli's disheveled appearance. Harli's face looked sickly; the whites of her eyes were red and black circles were beginning to form down from pit of her lower lids. Even her outfit didn't necessarily match.

"I don't know you just look... like hell." Red walked past her and motioned for her to follow into the kitchen, "Do you need any coffee?"

"No..." Harli walked after her older cousin and dropped her purse on the counter of the kitchen as she walked by, "You know I don't drink coffee."

"Well you look like you could use it." Red fixed her own cup of coffee, "I made you some black tea anyways."

"Thanks..." Harli mumbled and rested tiredly on the counter, waiting for her cup to be poured. As Red handed it to her, she let Harli into the living room and sat down on the couch, Harli sitting across from her. She could hear the soft voices of people on the television to the side of her, bringing the cup of tea up to her lips. The hot steam of the cup rose up against her face as she sipped on the hot tea, making Harli's eyes close in comfort at its warmth. Red watched her closely and circled her finger around the rim of her coffee cup,

"So... are you going to tell me what really happened at the bar?"

"I already told you." Harli was quick to answer and Red scoffed, rolling her eyes,

"Please... you can't lie to me of all people. I'm not dumb."

"I wasn't saying you were."

"Then stop lyin' to me and just tell me already. We're sisters more than cousins; you shouldn't feel like you can't tell me anything." Red persisted and sipped on the rim of her coffee cup. Harli let out a closed-mouth sigh and rubbed her hand against her forehead, rubbing her fingers into her weary eyes. Red stared worryingly at her cousin as Harli rested her head on the knuckles of her hand, her eyes changing from tired to anxious,

"I... saw someone at the bar last night. Someone I wasn't expecting to ever see again." Harli's voice cracked slightly and Red narrowed her brows,

"Who?"

"There was this guy I dated back in Atlanta when I was there finishing my prerequisites before I shipped myself off to North Carolina... he was really nice; treated me right. But then he started acting really weird... like really possessive and jealous of people that I hung out with: especially guys I worked with in class. He exploded on me one day, calling me a whore and saying that I was cheating on him. I couldn't take it anymore so I broke up with him." Harli paused for a moment to gauge Red's reactions and only saw her listening intently. Harli took a deep breath to continue, "I didn't see him for a couple weeks after that... then out of nowhere I just started seeing him everywhere. Everywhere I went he was there, following me and watching me. I'd get phone calls in the middle of the night, knocks at my front door, seeing shadows out the window out of the corner of my eye. Then he started sending threatening e-mails to me. I went to the cops with the evidence and they put a restraining order on him; but of course it didn't stop Chris. He just kept harassing me, showing up at the restaurant I worked at and causing scenes. Pounding on my front door and shouting my name until I answered only to tell him to leave. One night... he shoved me into my house and started hitting on me. Luckily a neighbor called the cops and they showed up in no time. He's been in jail for two years and just a few days ago he got out..."

"And you said you _saw_ him at the bar?" Red asked and Harli nodded in answer to her question, "How the hell did he find you?"

"I don't know... that's the thing. I have absolutely no idea how he got here and I don't know how he found me."

"Well you need to go to the cops and have them deal with it." Red spoke and took a large drink of her coffee, "We can't have him runnin' round here tryin' to destroy your life again."

"I did go to the cops..." Harli already sounded defeated, "After Fulton County sent over his file I went there to talk to them about my restraining order. But... it's only good in Fulton County. I have to get a brand new one here."

"Do it then!"

"I can't... I talked to one of the sheriff's and they said that Chris hasn't done anything to place an order of protection."

"Oh so the asshole police department is basically going to wait for him to do somethin' to you in order to give you a restrainin' order?" Red said angrily and Harli only stared at her. Red scoffed and shook her head, "Such bullshit."

"I know..." Harli looked down into the darkness of her tea, staring at her reflection in the bittersweet liquid.

"So he hasn't bothered you besides seein' him at the bar last night?" Red watched Harli's face turn grim as her frightened green eyes looked back at her older cousin. Red narrowed her eyes at Harli, seeing hers beginning to well up with tears,

"Red... he broke into my house last night." Red's eyes turned from worried to deathly concerned as she watched tears break out of Harli's eyes, "He wrote a note in lipstick on my bathroom mirror saying that he told me that he was going to find me. I literally got like an hour of sleep last night because I was so scared. Every little noise in my house... I just..." Harli rested her hand on her forehead and shook it, "I don't know what to do."

She heard Red shift and looked up to see Red standing to her feet and walking towards a desk on the wall next to the kitchen. Red pulled open a drawer and grabbed an item clad in black, shutting the dresser and pulling the object out of its case. Harli wiped her eyes and noticed Red was already hovering over her scared family member. Red latched onto Harli's wrist and yanked her hand out towards her, Harli feeling cold steel claiming the skin of her fingers. Her green eyes stared at the black pistol gripped in her hand and she instantly looked back up to Red, her blue eyes dead and serious, "You still remember how to shoot one?"

"Yeah... it's been a few years, though."

"I want you to take it. The clip is fully loaded with eight rounds and one already in the chamber."

"I-I can't, Red-" Red slapped her hands down on the arms of the chair and brought her face down to Harli's eye level,

"You can and you will. Protect yourself. There's no more little miss innocent Harli. If he hurt you once you should damn well know that he'll try to do it again." Harli looked down at the pistol and back to Red's intense eyes, "And call your dad and brother. Let them know what's goin' on so they can help you out."

"Absolutely not. My dad is already stressed out as it is and getting Clay involved will most likely make things worse. You know how he can get with something like this."

"That's the thing. Clayton just got out of basic trainin' for the Marines; he's the perfect candidate to help. There's nothin' like havin' a brother that's as protective as he is." Red argued with a valid point, even in Harli's ears. With a sigh, Harli rested the pistol carefully on her lap,

"I'll think about it. But Red, you have to swear you won't tell anyone. I don't need everyone knocking on my front door." Red pouted at Harli's request and finally nodded,

"I will... But I'm gonna call you every day to make sure you're alright. No if, and's, or buts about it." Red leaned back up and rested her hands on her hips. Harli fingers brushed against the cold steel of the pistol on her lap once again, nodding with slight hesitation,

"Alright..."

"What're you girls talkin' about?" A new voice entered the room and the two women looked over to identify the individual. Hayden stepped out from the hallway, rubbing his eye and groaning while plopping himself on the couch. Red smiled,

"How's the hangover?"

"Not as bad as I thought it was gonna be..." He breathed and his brown eyes looked over to Harli, "Good mornin' to you."

"She's not feelin' too good." Red exchanged quick glances with Harli, "She came over to have a girl's day with me."

"Well... don't drag her around town too much if she's not feelin' good." Hayden smirked and Red pouted at him. Red slapped her hands against her thighs and nodded,

"Alright. I guess I'll make you guys some breakfast... er, brunch. Harli, I bet you're hungry." Red looked over at her and as if on cue, Harli's stomach growled in agreement. Harli rubbed her stomach and Red laughed, walking towards the kitchen to begin the brunch. Hayden grabbed his girlfriend's wrist and Red looked down at him,

"Lots of bacon, please?"

"How did I know you were goin' to ask that?"

**.:o:.**

Daryl groaned and rolled over under his sheets, mentally cursing the string of sunlight that managed to poke in through his curtains. His body was slowly becoming incredibly hot as the summer air of the June afternoon managed to seep through the walls. With being so uncomfortable, Daryl kicked off the sheets and felt them slide off his bed onto the floor. A muffled grunt came out of nowhere, but Daryl ignored it as his tired eyes tricked him into trying to fall back asleep. Whatever cool air that wafted about in the room slid across Daryl's skin, making him sigh in relief from the heat. He was already beginning to sweat, half wanting to get out of bed to take a nice cold shower. But the headache of a late morning hangover slowly formed in his head and discouraged him from moving even one inch.

Daryl felt a shit on his bed and knew what was coming. A pair of claws latched onto the contorting muscles of Daryl's thick back and he grumbled as he felt the paws of Ruckus. He felt the puppy's cold nose brush up against his ear, a shiver running down Daryl's spine as he brushed the runt away. Ruckus huffed and jumped back on Daryl, tugging at his brown hair and scratching his back with his claws. Daryl hissed and shoved the puppy off his back, grabbing a pillow and burying his head underneath it. The persistent puppy jumped back on the bed, latching onto Daryl's pants and tugging at the already torn fabric. Ruckus huffed and sat down, hearing Daryl's breathing coming out from under the pillow. With his ears perked and his small pink tongue hanging out of his mouth from the heat of the room, Ruckus sprinted towards the head of the bed. He dove head first under the pillow, scrambling to get underneath it to get at Daryl's face. His muffled barks reached Daryl's ears and Daryl seemed to growl back at Ruckus in discontent. He felt the pups black tail slapping happily against his shoulder; he knew that Ruckus wouldn't stop until Daryl got up and out of bed.

With a heave from his strong arms, Daryl lifted himself upright and immediately regretted it. A wave of vertigo claimed his eyes as they began to spin about the room, his head throbbing like a drum. He pressed his hand against his forehead and fluttered his eyelids in trying to regain his vision. Once his blue eyes acclimated to his upright position, his hand fell against his mattress and he pouted back down at Ruckus. Ruckus' ears softened and his small tail continued to wag as he stared up at his master with a victorious smile. Daryl huffed at him, "I'm gonna start lockin' your ass in the bathroom from now on."

Daryl's blue eyes looked over to the curtains, seeing a bit of the rebellious sunlight glaring through the window. He sighed and stood to his feet, wobbling as he walked to the window and yanked the curtains open. He raised his hand up over his eyes to shield the burning light, stepping into the shadows of the room. The heat of his bedroom was slowly crawling up to his head and making his headache worse, Daryl knowing the only thing that could calm his rising discomfort was that of a cold shower. Daryl flipped on the light of the bathroom and stared at the standing shower in the corner, his stomach turning with anticipation. Still shirtless, he walked over to the shower and opened the door, leaning in and turning on the water, keeping in in between the red and blue lines.

The coldness of the water instantly cooled the air of the bathroom and made Goosebumps plague Daryl's tan skin. He tugged at his belt and unbuttoned his pants, dropping his drawers along with them to his ankles. The door squealed lightly as it opened and his feet stepped in first, the door closing securely behind him. Daryl took a deep breath as he stepped into the cool water and his eyes rolled into the back of his head under his eyelids. The feeling was fantastic and every muscle in his body relaxed from the waters sudden impact. He submerged his head under the heavy waterfall and let out his held breath, feeling as if his legs were going to buckle out from under him. Daryl shoved his hand against the wall under the shower head to steady himself, feeling a sudden wave of tiredness rolling over him. Cold water soaked his deep brown hair, rolled down his cheeks, and off his scruffy chin. Daryl rubbed his hand up the muscles on his arm and stretched his tight shoulder, flexing his chest as his shoulder joint rolled heavily. He rubbed the palms of his hands over his hair and shook his head, water flying against the walls. His body tingled when his fingers met his old scars all across his body, brief flashes of how he acquired the mutilations in his childhood. He squeezed at his shoulders and biceps, massaging them as his thick hands ran across his skin. All the thick knots in his muscles kneaded out under the influence of his fingers, his hand dropping and sliding against his thigh.

As quickly as he got into the shower, his body couldn't take much more of the pleasure and he had to get out. Not wanting to risk passing out, Daryl turned the slippery handle to the water and shut it off completely. The ecstasy of his pleasure followed him out of the shower as he opened the shower door and yanked a towel from the rail. He wrapped it loosely around his waist and opened the bathroom door, his cool skin beginning to battle the hot room of the air for dominance. He slid out a drawer to his dresser and pulled out a clean pair of dark grey pants and along with it, underwear. Dropping the towel from his waist he lazily pulled on his clothing, feeling clean and refreshed from the crazy night before. Daryl grabbed the towel from the floor and scrubbed it against his hair, ridding of all the excess water that continued to drip down his face and neck.

Daryl draped the towel on his head and pulled at another dresser drawer, pulling out a white wife beater and a black, sleeveless flannel. He pulled the tank top over his head and then the unbuttoned shirt over his shoulders, the scars on his back and chest quickly hidden from any type of suspecting eyes. Daryl's fingers pressed the buttons into their designated slots and he tugged at the edge of his shirt, straightening it out. Sitting down on the edge of his bed, he tied the laces to his boots tightly around his feet and stood up. Ruckus sat at the door obediently and surprisingly patient as he waited for Daryl to get ready for the day. Daryl took a deep breath, feeling the headache in his head calming somewhat from the cold shower, and glanced at the red numbers of his clock. It was almost eleven o'clock in the afternoon. His damp hair kept the heat at bay as he pulled open the bedroom door, Ruckus' claws tapping against the hardwood floors as he made way towards the back door. Daryl looked around the quiet house, trying to find some type of sign of his big brother. Looking out the window, Merle's truck sat in the middle of the long driveway in front of the shop, so he had to have been there. His attention was brought to the back door upon hearing Ruckus whimper and Daryl opened it for him, the pup sprinting out onto the back deck and jumping off into the grass of the backyard.

Daryl stepped out into the sunlight, taking in a deep breath of the air and letting it out slowly. With squinting eyes, he watched the black puppy trot around the overgrown grass of the yard to find a good spot to go to the bathroom. A soft wind brushed through the air and Daryl noticed the shop doors were wide open. Curiously, he tossed a quick glance towards Ruckus as he made way towards the shop, his boots meeting with the hot concrete. A shuffled came from around the corner and Daryl's eyes met with Merle, who lied on his back next to his motorcycle. Daryl leaned on the doorway to the large shop door, his arm hanging over his head, "The hell you doin' out here?"

Merle looked up at his little brother, his eyes still slightly red from a rather sleepless, drunken night, "Just... changin' the oil on my bike." He voiced groggily and returned to his task with a small wrench in his hand.

"Boy you look like shit."

"Nah..." Merle smirked and laughed to himself, "This is always what a man looks like after a fun night with a lovely lady!" Daryl quickly noted the sounds coming from Merle's bedroom, all the way on the other side of the house, that woke him up the night before. Merle huffed, "I may look like shit, but I feel great."

"Could've fooled me." Daryl mumbled and Merle popped the plug on the engine of his motorcycle, watching the rather clean oil draining from the container. Daryl shook his head, "Why you changin' the oil when Harli put new stuff in only a few days ago?"

"I don't like the brand of oil she put in. Makes my bike sound weird." Merle grunted and lifted his old body to his feet. With stray oil on his hands, he grabbed a dirty shop towel and dapped the greasy substance off his hands. With the two sets of blue Dixon eyes meeting, Merle narrowed his,

"Which reminds me..." He slapped the towel down on a workbench as he leaned on it, "Why the hell didn't you bring that sweet Felicia home with you last night. By the looks of it, both ya'lls tongues were gettin' pretty friendly with each other." Merle snickered to himself and Daryl shifted uncomfortably in his shoes,

"Just wasn't feelin' it last night." Daryl remembered his drunkenness and the feel of Felicia's tongue in his mouth. It was a good feeling he hadn't experienced in a while; but for some odd reason, he just wasn't feeling up to taking her home with him last night. Merle scoffed to himself,

"Wasn't feelin' it last night, huh? The look she had in her eyes was gettin' _me_ turned on!" Merle admitted to Daryl and he couldn't help but snort at his big brother.

"Anything and everythin' gets you turned on, Merle."

"Yeah whatever..." Merle eyed Ruckus as his clicking nails sounded next to Daryl, the pup sitting next to his foot and staring back at Merle. Merle looked back up at Daryl and nodded, "Why don't you go get that precious crossbow of yours and go fetch me somethin' I can cook up tonight?"

"Sure." Daryl nodded and turned around, Ruckus and Merle both exchanging glances at each other before the black pup pursued after Daryl, his ears flopping as he bounced about. Daryl retrieved his trusty combatant and hooked the strap over his shoulder. Leaving Ruckus on a leash stuck into the ground, Daryl walked towards the old hunting trail that lead off into the bushes.

Daryl pressed through the backwoods of Merle's property, dodging branches of trees and shrubs of bushes silently as he walked. He carefully scanned the ground for any signs of tracks and sticks that threatened his secrecy. With his crossbow loaded, he kept it cautiously against his shoulder and immediately went into hunting mode. His breath steadied in his throat and his eyes darted back and forth through the forest for any sign of movement. With his footsteps barely audible, his ears listened intently on the surrounding forest for any identifiable sounds of his prey. While chewing on his lip out of boredom, Daryl crouched down and rubbed his fingers against the dry dirt of the forest floor. There were tracks glaring up at him and by what he could determine, they were fresh. They looked like possum tracks, but they could easily be something else. Although mainly looking for squirrels because they were so easy to hunt, finding a fat possum wouldn't be half bad for a dinner that night. The bigger the better.

As he walked, he couldn't help but remember the night before at the bar. His eyes couldn't stay off of Harli. He didn't know what it was. There was Felicia sitting next to him, flirting and even down to go home with him to have some bed fun that night. But his eyes stayed glued to her, especially when she got on the dance floor for line dancing. It may not have been the sexiest of dances, but damn, the way her body moved flawlessly was something he wouldn't be able to forget. Her hips were intoxicating and her legs were just as poisonous. He cleared his throat embarrassingly upon remembering when her top rolled off her chest as she lied basically naked on top of him out in The Gallows. There was something about Harli that drew him to her; it was like he had a collar, attached to a leash, around his throat every time he was in her presence. Daryl didn't like to compare himself to a loyal dog but it was the only way he felt when being around her. He wondered what she was doing as he was out hunting for Merle's dinner.

**.:o:.**

Red sat in the chair Harli did when she first came into the house, staring at the television. Hayden was long gone off with his buddies, leaving the two girls to their lonesome. But Red was the only one lonely in the house; Harli was passed out on the couch for quite some time. Even though Red wanted to go out on a girl's day with her favorite cousin, she didn't mind at all that Harli fell asleep. The poor girl needed it. Red couldn't help but dwell on the matter that she discussed with Harli a couple hours before. Her little cousin was being stalked by a crazy ex-boyfriend. Harli didn't deserve it; not one bit. With all the stress of work, the Chris guy now showing up, and Felicia trying to take over the town with her skankiness, Red was completely surprised that Harli was functioning right. The black haired beauty balled her fist at the sound of Felicia's name running through her mind, her eyes narrowing.

Felicia was lucky that, although tempting, Red didn't jump over the counter of the bar and take her to the ground right then and there. That way she wouldn't be as 'pretty' to try and steal the young Dixon away. Daryl probably would have liked watching the catfight between them; he had a thing for that. Red knew that Harli and Daryl were a good match for each other. She saw the goodness in him even though he didn't show it to basically anyone, not even Merle. Red's eyes moved over to a sleeping Harli, seeing the undisturbed look on her face. She must've felt somewhat safe in order to fall asleep there. Red desperately wanted to call Clayton and tell him what was going on in hopes that her little brother would try to do something. She growled in her head at the thought of a man laying his hands on Harli; she was the sweetest and kindest girl in the world. That was until someone made her angry, of course. It just ran in the family.

Red watched Harli shift and groan, her hand slowly sliding up her body to rub her forehead. Her tired green eyes opened and she noticed Red's blue eyes staring at her. Awkwardly, Harli leaned up and sat on the edge of the couch, "How long was I asleep?"

"Only a couple hours..." Red smiled and pressed her back against the comfy chair, "You can sleep as long as you'd like. I don't mind."

"No... no it's alright." Harli got to her feet and stretched her long tan legs as well as her arms, "You want to go do stuff so we're gonna go do stuff."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Harli nodded with a soft smile, "I feel a lot better already anyways."

"Well... since this is a pretty damn hot day, why don't we go jump in my truck and we'll head over to Danny's to get some ice cream?" Red smiled and got to her feet as well. Harli nodded as she watched Red go to the front door to put her shoes on,

"Yeah, sure!"


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hey guys! Ugh, sorry for the lack of updates I've just been destroyed over the past couple of weeks! My birthday was last Thursday so I took that week to get everything ready for the party I ended up having lol on top of that I had finals all this week so I had to deal with all that crap too!**

**Finally able to get back and at least try to focus on D&R... I know I left you all on a pretty nasty cliffhanger and I'm surprised no one tracked me down and beat me up... yet lol anyways, I know a lot of you are wanting more Daryl and Harli moments but right now I'm just trying to focus on Harli and her misery that's slowly eating her away. I promise, of course, I'll make it up to you guys!**

**Thanks and don't forget to review :)**

A couple of days had passed and finally the work days rolled around. Harli was grateful. She could finally get her mind off all her personal stresses and get back to work. Her job definitely made her feel more relaxed and in-the-zone rather than piling more and more anxiety on her shoulders. But she couldn't help but feel watched every step of the way as she drove to work in her rusty Camaro. Harli constantly looked over her shoulder and kept her eyes out for a certain individual, almost rear-ending a minivan at one point in time. She couldn't help herself; she was fear driven ever since seeing the message on her mirror.

She pulled into the small parking lot behind her father's mechanic shop and finally came to a stop. She rubbed her tired eyes and sighed deeply, resting the back of her head on the headrest behind her. Her green eyes stared at the cut up fabric of the cars ceiling, her body aching with sleepless fatigue. Finally, her fingers gripped the handle of the door and she shoved it open, pushing the door away from her as her boots clashed with the pavement of the parkway. Her shaky legs lifted her body and her hand shut the door behind her, tossing the strap of her bag onto her shoulder as she made way towards the shops back door. Harli eyed both her father's and his shop-hands vehicles as she passed them, still a bit surprised that they were starting to come into work on time.

The door squealed open and Harli shut it as quietly as she could behind her, hearing the chair of the desk rolling around on the old wood floors. As she stepped out of the shadows of the hallway, she saw Clayton spinning around in the chair and pushing himself across the floor. He ran into the wall and flailed his limbs, trying to gather his balance so he didn't fall to the ground. Grabbing the edge of the seat, he recomposed himself and spun around, stopping upon seeing his sister staring at him from the mouth of the hallway. Clayton's lips curled into a cheesy smile and he leaned back in the chair, grabbing the back of his head with both hands,

"You're startin' to lose your touch, sis. When me and dad are here before you for work then there's somethin' wrong goin' on. It's kinda scary, actually."

"Everyone's not perfect." Harli mumbled as she tossed her bag down under the computer desk. Clayton tilted his head,

"Boy you sure are cheerful this mornin'..." He lifted his tall stature off the chair and pushed the swivel over towards her. She grabbed the back of it and her heavy body landed on the soft cushioning of the chair, a soft groan rolling out of her lips as she rested her head on her hand. Clayton leaned on the desk, his soft blue eyes staring at her curiously, "You don't look very good. You sick or somethin'?"

"No... just haven't been getting very good sleep."

"Maybe you should drink more."

"Ha ha very funny." Harli pouted and rubbed her fingers into her eyes. Clayton shrugged his shoulders,

"What? Either that or start suckin' down the Nyquil. That shit works like a charm."

"Don't you have any work to do?" Harli asked and reopened her eyes, staring into the face of her younger brother. Clayton shook his head,

"No... you don't have any clients lined up for today so that means I don't have anythin' to do... I am your shop-hand, remember?"

"Yeah..." Harli sighed and looked out the window next to her, seeing a few cars passing by the shop, "I know."

"Maybe it's good you don't have much work today?" Clayton suggested while twirling a pen in his fingers and staring into Harli's tired eyes. Harli went to retort back at him, but the half-siblings turned upon hearing the double doors to the actual shop open. Their father stepped in, his blue eyes glaring at Harli,

"You're hear late."

"Only a few minutes." She said, recoiling under the glare of his piercing blue eyes.

"Doesn't matter. You should always be here on time."

"Coming from the man who used to show up late almost every day." Clayton defended and Russ tossed him and irritated glance. Clayton looked back at his sister, "Besides... Harli has no work today."

"That's bullshit." Russ tossed his grimy shop rag over his shoulder and stared back at his son, "Just because she ain't got any bikes lined up don't mean she can skip out on work... and that goes for you, too. I ain't payin' you two to sit around here and do nothin' all day."

"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do today? Wipe your ass and get you a beer?" Clayton's sarcastic tone struck a nerve in Russ. Harli immediately looked to her father, waiting him to strike Clayton for his smart ass remark. But Russ didn't bother to lay a finger on his,

"You best mind that mouth of yours round me there, boy, before I smack it right off your face." Russ warned and Clayton only smiled at his father's feeble attempts to intimidate him. Russ's blue eyes moved back to Harli, who meekly and quietly sat under his presence,

"I have some parts comin' in that need to be delivered to a few mechanic shops around town, includin' the Dixon's. I need you two to run them round town and get the job done. You can take my truck."

"What? No way..." Clayton said with a smile and Russ tossed him another warning glance,

"Harli's drivin'... I don't trust you."

"That's not fair!"

"I love that truck more than both of you combined." Russ voiced and without another word from his daughter or son, he turned back around towards the doors, "As soon as the delivery arrives you get it all done."

"Ugh..." Clayton scoffed and rested his forehead on the cold desk below him. Harli lazily rested her chin on her hand,

"He's just a fresh gallon of sweet peaches this morning, isn't he?"

"That's what gives him his charm." Clayton spit with yet more sarcasm and groaned in his throat, staring at the double doors as they finally came to a swaying stop.

"Surprised he didn't slap you silly when you were being a smartass. He would've punched my teeth out if I ever did that." Harli said with a bit of jealousy and Clayton only shrugged in reply. Their ears picked up a loud jingle of the old bell over the front door to the office, the two looking over to see a couple people walking into the cool relief of the room. Clayton stood up straight to look as professional as his casual clothes allowed and Harli got to her feet, straightening out her shirt.

"Hello there, can I help you?" Harli asked and took in the features of this older man upon their eyes meeting. He had a large white beard and dark eyes that occupied the space under a pair of fluffy, white eyebrows. He had nothing but a friendly aura around him and a bright smile managed to peak through the mass of facial hair on his head.

"Yes uh... I'm having a bit of a problem with my Winnebago."

"What kind of problem, might I ask?" Harli asked and walked out from behind the desk. He met her halfway,

"My radiator blew out again... me and my wife here," He quickly gestured behind him to a small, older woman behind him, "We're on a big road trip and it seems to have stopped us here in your beautiful town. Do you have any openings to take a look at it real quick?"

"Well I'm not an auto mechanic but I can sure have my dad or a shophand of his come out and take a look for you."

"Oh thank you very much, I appreciate it!" He smiled brightly once again and Harli felt warmth crawl through her body, causing her to smile,

"My name is Harli Waldgrave and this is my little brother Clayton." She motioned behind her to Clayton, who stepped forward with a smile as the older man took Harli's hand in his in a handshake.

"Dale Horvath..." He smiled and gripped Clayton's hand tightly in a manly handshake, Clayton feeling the strength in his thin hand, "And this is my wife Erma."

"It's nice to meet you two, welcome to Waleska." Harli smiled as Dale's wife, Erma, stepped forward to shake Harli's hand. She had a beautiful pair of blue eyes and she wore a cloth tied over her head. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were thin, causing Harli to involuntarily stare at her. Even though she was older, she was still a lovely woman with a smile just as warm as Dale's. Harli felt Erma's cold hand try to grip her hand in the soft handshake, Harli being careful not to break it because of its fragility.

"Thank you. Might I ask where your bathroom is?" Erma's soothing voice directed itself towards Harli and Harli moved to the side,

"It's just down the hallway... last door on the right."

"Thank you very much." She smiled again and frailly moved past the Waldgrave siblings, finding her way towards the bathroom.

"I'm gonna go talk to dad." Clayton said and brushed past his shorter sister, disappearing behind the double doors. Harli motioned her hand towards a few chairs,

"You're welcome to take a seat while you wait."

"Thank you." Dale took a seat on one of the chairs and Harli leaned back on the desk. She stared at him as he pulled off his floppy fisherman's hat and wriggled it around in his hands, his balding head sweating from the Georgian heat. Harli shifted uncomfortably, her head swarming with thoughts in trying to engage in conversation,

"So where are you and your wife headed?" Harli crossed her arms and tilted her head. Dale looked back up at her with his dark eyes and a small smile,

"Miami... we're taking out old Winnebago we've had for years now and driving down the coast. We've hit a couple rough patches along the way but we're managing." Dale nodded and saw the look in Harli's green eyes, knowing what she wanted to ask, "Erma... she has cancer. We're taking this long needed trip to try and get away from everything."

"I'm so very sorry..." Harli's eyebrows drew together and her eyes contorted sorrowfully as she stared back at Dale. Dale smiled and waved his hand,

"Don't be... we're having a wonderful time!" The two heard the bathroom door open and Erma stepped out, retying the cloth around her head and smiling at them as she exited the hallway. The double doors then swung open and Russ stepped out, his gaze falling on the older couple as he entered the office. Dale stood up upon seeing the shop owner,

"Russell Waldgrave. What seems to be your problem?" Russell walked up with a rag in his hand, taking Dale's hand in a tight handshake. Dale didn't seem to mind that Russ's hand was still caked in grease, but Dale motioned his hand to the door,

"Would you mind coming to take a look at it?"

"Of course. Lead the way..." Russ nodded and quickly moved towards the door, opening it for both Dale and Erma. The three exited and Harli could feel the hot air outside battling the cool air in the office generated by the air conditioner. She heard the double doors swing open once again and found her little brother in her sights,

"The delivery guy just showed up. Faster we can get this done the faster we can get done today."

"You know dad's not gonna let us go home early." Harli grumbled and Clayton only shrugged with a grin, his fingers plucking the keys to his father's lifted Chevy from the key hooks hanging behind the desk.

"Let's just get this over with!" Clayton tucked the keys in his back pocket and moved towards the front door, just as the delivery man stopped in front of it. Clayton motioned for him to go inside and the man pushed the dolly full of boxes, stopping and handing a clipboard to Harli. Harli quickly signed her name at the bottom and the delivery man bid them both a farewell, disappearing behind the door. Clayton rubbed his hands together with a sly smile and gathered most of the boxes up into his strong arms, "Come on, Harli! We got work to do!"

Harli quickly snatched her order clipboard and grabbed the rest of the boxes, which happened to be only four left. Her tired body carried both itself and the boxes to the back door, some wobbling and threatening to fall from her arms. The bright sun bore down on the Waldgrave siblings as they made their way to their fathers big, black Chevy. Clayton tossed the boxes in the back of the truck and as Harli walked up Clayton took the boxes from her arms to help her out. Harli then opened the driver's door and placed her foot on the step-up runner to get in.

"Hey, hey, hey!?" Clayton whined and held the driver's side door open so she couldn't shut it. Harli looked down at him,

"What?"

"I don't see the keys in your hands!" He smiled and pulled the keys out of his back pocket, jingling them in front of her, "Therefore... I drive!"

"But dad said-"

"Who cares what dad said!?" Clayton shook his head, "You never really care what dad says so why start now?" His blue eyes stared at Harli and grew curious to the clouded look in her eye. Without a word, she crawled over the bench seat to the passenger's side of the truck and watched as Clayton jumped into the lifted, '79 Chevy pickup. Clayton exchanged brief eye contact with his older sister and then shoved the key into the ignition. The roaring engine thundered to life and Clayton revved the engine, smiling at the feeling of the engines vibrations through the rubber of the steering wheel. Finally, he shoved the stick shift into first gear and slowly let out the clutch at the same time his other foot pressed onto the gas pedal. Harli thought it to be surprisingly smooth as she had never seen, or heard of, her brother driving a manual vehicle.

Harli opened the window behind the bench seat and reached her hand through, grabbing a smaller box and pulling it back through. She opened the box with a knife sitting under her seat and examined the contents inside, seeing a brand new alternator inside. Her eyes darted to the order forms on her clipboard and soon found the auto shops name that was in need of the supply, "Go over to The Chop Shop on Lincoln and fourth... do you know where that is?"

"Of course." Clayton scoffed with reassurance. Harli eyed him, not knowing if he was telling the truth or not.

**.:o:.**

"Seriously... do I need to drive?" Harli asked as she shut the door to her father's truck, glaring over at her brother as the two stepped around the front of the vehicle, "That took _way_ longer than it should have."

"Well _sorry_! You were the one giving me directions!" Clayton expressed, trying to put the blame on his sister. The two had gotten lost in their struggle to find the mechanic shop amongst the town; Harli tried directing her brother but each turn he took was on his own accord as her instruction went through one ear and out the other. Finally, after almost thirty minutes, they managed to find their way to the shop out of some whimsical miracle.

"Give me the keys!"

"No!" Clayton held the keys high up above her head and Harli pouted, glaring back into Clayton's bright eyes. He only smiled at the sight of her annoyance, his fingers jingling the keys above her as he knew she shouldn't reach them, even if she tried to jump. Harli huffed and hooked the delivery box under her arm,

"Fine! But if we get lost again I'm going to stab you."

"Yeah you wish..." Clayton mumbled as he followed his older sister into the mechanics shop.

After receiving a small fee for delivery, the Waldgrave siblings retreated into the lifted truck and Clayton drove off to the next shop. Surprisingly to Harli, he didn't get lost anymore. He must have really wanted to drive their father's truck because he was now very serious about the matter. Clayton didn't have a vehicle of his own and wanted the rusty Camaro that had been given to Harli but he was far too late. He didn't have any money to buy one and Harli was completely surprised that Russ didn't go out and buy Clayton a super beautiful classic that made every head turn as it drove by. But Harli knew that Russ was being cautious in the matter of giving Clayton his own vehicle. He may have been an older man now, employed under his father and still living with him, but Russ knew better than to buy a new vehicle for his twenty-year old son who barely knew the definition of responsibility. But Harli could see a different light in Clayton's eyes and she knew he was a much different man than before he was sent off to basic training. The Marine's really must have turned his life in a different direction. But then again, he walked in their fathers shoes and knew that he was just as rebellious as Russ was when he was a younger man. He was untamed.

One by one, the delivery boxes dwindled in numbers in the bed of the truck. Harli and Clayton dropped them all off at their designated shops, the money stacking up in their pockets from all the deliveries. Harli grabbed the last two boxes in the back and looked down at the clipboard, not even bothering to open to box to know who it was going to. The Dixon name stared up at her from the paper on the board and was the only name not crossed off. Harli rested the back of her head against the seat, thinking to the night when they all went out to the bar. She hadn't really seen Daryl since then and he didn't seem all that much interested in being around her.

"Where to next?" Clayton asked, looking over at her and trying to steal a look at the clipboard in her lap. Harli looked down at it for effect and then found Clayton's face in her sights,

"The Dixon's place."

"Saving them for last?" Clayton smirked and then automatically turned to a frown at a thought, "Wanna rub your boobs on Daryl some more?"

"Clayton!" Harli felt her face flush under the extreme embarrassment of the memory. Clayton shook his head,

"If I even catch one look of Daryl makin' a pass- ow!" Clayton flinched upon feeling Harli's heavy fist ram up against his shoulder. He rubbed his arm while keeping his hand secure on the steering wheel, "You didn't have to hit me!"

"Just shut up already!" Clayton smiled at his big sisters red face, loving every single second of her embarrassment; even if it was about her losing her bikini top on none other than Daryl Dixon. "Drive, alright!? Just friggen drive the damn truck and let's get this over with!"

"Fine, fine... sheesh." Clayton mumbled, continuing to try and rub the knot out of his shoulder. Even if Harli was smaller than him, and no matter how much stronger he got, he never could brush off such a heavy punch that came from her unrelenting fist. She was possible the only person he never wanted to tangle with.

The road soon became familiar to them both as they descended into the suburbs of Waleska. Trees crowded over the side of the road, seeing which one of them could touch the passing vehicles with their hair-like branches the most. Harli stared at the horses and cows that crowded in lengthy pastures that stretched farther than her eye could detect. Her body bounced in the seat as the tires of the truck came into contact with some notorious potholes in the beat up road. Harli leaned forward in her seat upon catching the view of the Dixon's shop and cabin in the encirclement of trees just on the outside of the forest. Clayton turned the wheel with the palm of his hand, swinging the truck into the driveway and rolling down the long strip of asphalt. Their eyes immediately looked to Merle as they came to a stop, his shop door wide open with a very large mudding truck sitting tireless on the truck lift. Merle grabbed a dirty cloth and began wiping his hands of any excess grease, Mitch standing behind him and leaning on the doorway with a cigarette the only thing parting his lips.

Clayton was the first to get out of the truck, opening the door and jumping back onto low, flat ground. Harli then followed his lead, sliding off the seat with the packages in her hands and walking up to the shop. Merle's notorious grin stretched across his cheeks as he came to a stop, him and Clayton staring each other down, "Boy if you had black hair I would've sworn you was your daddy pullin' up in that rig."

"Oh please..." Clayton scoffed with a smirk, "If I looked half as ugly as my daddy I would have to permanently wear a paper bag over my head and cry in a corner."

"You's lucky your paps ain't here to hear that?" Mitch laughed to himself behind Merle and Clayton's smug smirk only grew bigger.

"What're you here for?" Merle asked while hooking a hand on his hip. Clayton's blue eyes moved over to his meek sister as she stood silently next to him,

"Brought you your parts." Harli said, stepping forward on cue and handing them out to him. Merle smiled at her and looked at the packages, taking them from her hands.

"Thank you kindly." Merle nodded and as he looked back up at Harli, he noticed her eyes staring into the shop as if looking for something. He smiled once again and tilted his head back slightly, "You lookin' for my little brother there, sweetheart?"

"No." Harli was quick to answer while surprisingly keeping her composure, "Just wondering what those parts are in the boxes there."

"A new wristpin and a couple belts for that Ford back there." Merle nodded his head back towards the shop, "I take it this all you came here for?" His blue eyes met Clayton's equally,

"Yes, sir." Clayton looked over at Harli briefly as he heard her sigh quietly in disappointment, "Where is Daryl anyways? I got a few words to exchange with the dog."

"Them Marines turned you into an asshole." Merle laughed, "You think just cuz you went to that shithole of basic training that you're tough shit. Keep runnin' that mouth 'round Daryl he's gonna pop your head like a zit."

"I'd like to see him try." Clayton said cockily, "You Dixon's think you're just the toughest shit."

"Oh boy... you're pushin' it." Merle took a couple steps forward and the two men exchanged heavy glares. Feeling the tension, Harli grabbed Clayton's arm,

"We're not here to start trouble, you. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" She heard Merle laugh to himself and Clayton glared down at his sister,

"You don't think I can take him!?"

"No." Harli said bluntly with a halfcocked smile, "I don't think I'd ever find you afterwards. You'd probably be in a ditch in the middle of nowhere."

"Looks like your sister ain't got faith in a little pussy like you." Merle continued to laugh to himself and Clayton's blue eyes darkened at the older man. Harli grabbed Clayton's arm and pulled him towards the truck,

"We've got to be getting back to the shop now, Merle. Good luck of fixing that truck." Harli said as she pulled her big little brother along. Merle threw up his hand in a stale wave,

"Yeah see you two!" He put his hand over his mouth and called to Clayton as the younger Waldgrave began to get into the truck, "Don't forget to wear your bra and panties next time I might take ya'll seriously!"

Clayton growled to himself as he slammed the door shut irately, shoving the truck into reverse and backing out of the long driveway. Harli sat in the passenger's seat and fell into the door as the truck swung around and skidded to a stop on the roadway. Clayton began to chew on his thumbnail, "The death of that old man is gonna be my fist through his ugly, old face!"

"What's your beef with him anyways? And Daryl?" Harli recomposed herself and looked over at him as his teeth violently ate away at his thumbnail. Clayton kept his eyes on the road,

"Because they always think they're tough shit! They always made fun of me and I can never get their respect."

"And you think gaining their respect is trying to kick their asses?"

"That's what dad taught me and that's what Merle says would be the only way he would ever accept it."

"Well that's stupid." Harli scoffed and rolled her eyes at the thought of it. What was with men and fights all over town? Too much testosterone, that's what. As the truck continued to roll down the dirt road, slowly coming back to pavement, Harli heard an unfamiliar growl come from over in Clayton's vicinity. She looked over at him, knitting her eyebrows as she traced the sound down to his stomach. As it growled again, Harli found his face in her gaze, "Hungry?"

"I haven't eaten anything today." He mumbled, his eyes looking out through the driver's side door briefly before returning back to the road ahead of him. Harli reached into her pocket and pulled out the wad of cash from the deliveries, counting it all. As she summed it up to be over a hundred dollars, she smiled and looked over at her brother,

"Why don't we stop and go grab some lunch before going back to the shop?" She suggested and Clayton looked over at her,

"Won't dad get mad if we spend that money?"

"Who cares what dad thinks?" She said plainly, mimicking him from earlier this morning. Clayton smiled and nodded, pulling the truck to a stop at a stop sign and turning on his blinker towards downtown,

"Not me, that's for sure."

**.:o:.**

Clayton pulled into a small parking lot just off the main road, parking it away from everyone else. Even though he could drive the Chevy beast, it was quite difficult for him to try and park next to people. The two got out and Harli straightened out her shirt, feeling it rolling up her back from the uncomfortable, itchy seats of the vehicle. Clayton led her to the door of the eatery, opening it for her and letting her in first. She smiled at him; even though he was a bit of an asshole sometimes, he was still a gentleman at heart. The gushing blow of the air conditioner overhead cooled Harli's hot skin as she entered first, taking a look around the eatery. She heard Clayton sigh and turned around seeing a smile on his face as he lifted his hands and ran them through his blazing blonde hair.

"Best sandwich shop in the entire town!" He sighed and looked down at his sister,

"I haven't been here before."

"Well don't get addicted to it like I did. You might get fat like me." He said as he patted his rock hard stomach. Harli scoffed and rolled her eyes, turning towards the register where a small female, with a bright smile, waited.

"Welcome back to Curly's!" The woman directed more towards Clayton in an all-too familiar way. Clayton returned a smile,

"Nice to see you again..." He squinted his eyes at the name tag on her chest, "Bailey."

"Your name is Clay... right?"

"Clay-ton." He corrected with a charming smile and the woman. Harli rolled her eyes as she knew what was coming: more flirting. She brushed her hand over her back pocket and narrowed her eyes when she felt it rather empty. Leaning her head over her shoulder, she reached her hand in the pocket of her shorts and realized that there was no money occupying its space. Harli bumped Clayton's arm with her elbow,

"I left the money in the truck. I'll be right back."

"Alright. Hurry back or I'll order food for you!" Harli nodded and retreated to the door, hearing Clayton calling one last time before it called, "And trust me! You won't want me to do that!"

Harli felt the rush of the sun above her pound against her skin, instantly making her mouth practically dry. She licked her lips and stepped off the sidewalk towards the truck, eyeing its features as she stepped towards it. Her boots thumped against the hard concrete below her and her eyes watched bystander vehicles as they passed by the sandwich shop, even some pulling it to enjoy its supposedly good food. She yanked open the door and searched for the money, seeing it sitting on the seat exposed to the window. Harli scoffed to herself, "Good job, Harli. Just leave a hundred and fifty bucks sitting on the seat. Dad won't get mad at all..." After reaching in and grabbing the money, she safely secured it back in her pocket and leaned back out.

She gasped and jumped as the door slammed shut on its own, her head instantly flicking in the direction she suddenly felt a presence. Her stomach instantly became nauseous and her mouth gaped open as she stared into two familiar brown eyes. Harli tried to step back but her body only pressed up against the steaming hot metal of her fathers lifted Chevy. She could feel her legs begin to shake under her a surprisingly calm voice was directed at her, "Hey Harli? How've you been?"

Chris silently glared back at her, his smug eyes boring into hers.

Harli couldn't speak, let alone breathe at that moment. Chris tilted his head, growing curious as to the fear in her eyes, "What's wrong? Surprised to see me?"

"Ch-Chris... I... I."

"You what?" He narrowed his eyes leaned forward, "You don't seem very happy to see me."

"You need to leave." She said sternly, finally managing to break out of her glass case, "You're not supposed to be anywhere near me." Chris's laugh slithered into her ears, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

"You do realize that the stupid restraining order only works in Fulton County? Besides, why do you need it? I'm not gonna do anything."

"That's why you broke into my house, right?"

"I didn't do that." Chris was quick to defend himself, "It could've have been anyone."

"You're such a liar." She bit back. Even though she was putting on a tough front, she was absolutely petrified on the inside. Harli slipped her hand behind her back to avoid showing him her shaking hand, "Get away from me."

"I'm not going anywhere..." His eyes turned dark and he pressed his hand up against the truck just over her shoulder, hovering over her face, "You and I? We have unfinished business."

"Chris... I swear to god if you don't get the fuck away from me I'm going to call the cops." Harli's voice turned venomous and she was never one for swearing too much but at that moment she didn't care. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

"They can't do anything." He laughed, "I told you... I'm not doing anything wrong." He relished at the sight of the fear in her eyes and he felt a shiver of delight run through his body. A smile crept across his face, "I forgot how beautiful you were."

"Don't touch me!" Harli shoved him away violently upon feeling his cold finger brush up against her cheek. She breathed violently, her body not being able to contain her fear any longer. Chris snatched Harli's wrist into his hand and she gasped, feeling his fingers digging into her wrist as she shoved her back up against the truck. Something snapped in his head,

"You don't want to fight me. You know better." He shook his head and Harli closed her eyes, feeling his face hovering over her once again. She could even feel his breath on her face, "I know where you work... I know where you live... I know where you sleep." He breathed and her eyes flicked open once he latched onto her face with his free hand, "I know who you've been hanging out with... all the guys. You can't throw me away like this. I won't let you."

"Chris... stop." She mumbled quietly through the tight grip of his hand, her jaw muscles beginning to hurt. Harli couldn't stop her eyes as the warmth of tears crawled up the back of her throat,

"Don't test me anymore. It's a waste of your precious time."

"Hey asshole!" A brief wash of relief rolled through Harli like a breeze upon hearing Clayton's heavy voice breaking the tension, "Get your fuckin' hands off my sister." Clayton grabbed Chris's shoulder and ripped him away from Harli, Harli almost losing the balance in her legs and falling to the ground. Clayton immediately stood in front of Harli, "Give me one good reason not to break every single tooth in your fuckin' mouth, buddy."

"Did you know your sister is a whore?" Chris asked smugly and Clayton slammed his fist into his face, causing Chris to stumble backwards.

Harli heard a few gasps coming from a few people passing by on the sidewalk, paying them barely any mind as she returned her attention back to her brother. Clayton and Chris were both equally sized with equally thick bodies. Harli looked down at Clayton's fist, seeing it shaking with rage, adrenaline, and anticipation for Chris to get back to his feet and challenge him. Harli didn't bother to stop her brother from pummeling the man to a pulp. Clayton met him again in a couple steps and reached out, grabbing a handful of Chris's shirt and bringing him face to face, "I swear to god if I see you around my sister ever again I'll knock your fuckin' head clean off your body."

"You think you got the balls?" Chris laughed, completely unfazed by Clayton's heavy fist. Clayton shoved him with all the force he had, Chris almost falling onto the concrete. He glared back at the young Waldgrave and then immediately moved his gaze back onto Harli cowering behind him.

"Get out of here now before I have a change of heart." Clayton demanded and Chris stood staring at Harli's younger brother for a moment, his eyes turning deadly. Harli quickly avoided his gaze as it fell on her, and after a few more long, intense seconds, Chris wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned around, walking across the street.

Sooner than he appeared, Chris was gone.

As soon as her was out of Clayton's raging sight, Clayton turned around to Harli worryingly. He stared at her shaking body as she tried to hide it, but he could see right through her. His eyes softened as he put a hand on his shoulder, "You alright? Did he hurt you?"

"No... no." Harli shook her head and quickly tried to straighten herself out, "I just... he scared me."

"What'd he want? Who was that guy?" Clayton pursued with his questions, trying to look her straight in the eye to get his answer. Harli shook her head again,

"Nothing... He was..." Harli managed to steal eye contact with him, "He just tried to rob me... that's all."

Clayton continued to eye his sister suspiciously, knowing that she wasn't fully telling the truth. He watched as her small, warming smile crossed her cheeks, "How about we go get that sandwich? I'm hungry." She asked while rubbing her wrist, feeling the soreness of it all the way to her bone.


	11. Chapter 11

Christopher was everywhere.

Every time Harli would look up, no matter where she was, he was there: at the supermarket, around the mechanics shop, in the rearview mirror of her Camaro, and even outside her house at some times. The night she had gotten home from work after the incident between Chris and Clayton, Harli came home to a broken back window. A brick from the décor in her backyard lied in the shambles of the windows broken glass, a note attached to it by a rubber band. '_**You're going to regret what you did today. Better start praying'. **_She called the police and showed them the note, even the broken window that she knew Chris was the culprit of. But the cops didn't do a thing; saying that the note wasn't threatening and there was nothing they could do until he made an actual, blatant threat to her. Chris chose his words carefully in his notes. Harli didn't sleep again that night, even after locking her bedroom door and sleeping with Red's gun under her pillow.

Harli could swear her heart didn't get a rest of its continuous throbbing throughout the entire week. She began to experience pains in her chest, stomach, and head from the constant stress. It was beginning to take a heavy toll on her, on top of all the sleep deprivation of constant fear. Work was getting worse. Harli would show up hours late and all the mental and physical problems she experienced showed up in her work. The motorcycles she would fix were sloppy and drug out, Harli having to go back over all the mechanics of the bikes to fix whatever she missed. Clayton we becoming gravely concerned for his sister, wondering if she had been taking drugs or staying out late at the bars. He even had thoughts that the cause of her strange behavior was from the man she encountered at the sandwich shop. Of course, Harli didn't want to drag him into the mess that was suddenly inflicted on her, so she lied straight through her teeth to her little brother. She knew he didn't believe her, but she didn't care.

It had been days since Harli had seen Daryl, and every time she went to his house either for business, or leisure in company with Clayton and Russ, he would be off with his uncle Jess or with _Felicia._ The name of the harlot left a bad taste in Harli's mouth and ever a twinge of pain in her head at the thought of her name. She was losing hope.

A small amount of stress managed to escape its cage as the weekend rolled around. No work, no worries about work, and no needing to be up at six' o'clock to ready for work. Harli opened her eyes and stared at the wall, watching as an orange, flickering tail swam towards her from the door. Nacho jumped up from the carpeted floor and stretched his legs over the sheets, Harli feeling the tickling feel of his whiskers on her skin as he sniffed her face. Harli could see the sun trying to get in through her curtains in attempts the glare down at her face, antagonizing her to get to her feet. Harli sighed and closed her eyes, feeling Nacho plopping his thirteen pound body in between her shoulders. She was still tired, but not tired enough to fall back asleep. Her fingers gripped the bed and she lifted her torso up tiredly, Nacho sliding off her back and falling back onto the bed. Harli sat down and rubbed her aching head, hearing her stomach growling in protest to her barely even eating for the past few hours.

Her green eyes found her own reflection in the mirror and she let out a sigh at the sight of her demeanor. Her hair was in shambles of not being brushed for at least three days, the bags under her eyes have long formed into black circles, and her tan skin was looking a bit pale. Harli's feet rolled though the light sheets of her bed and landed on the scratchy carpet, her weak legs struggling to lift her up. But once on her feet, Harli walked into her hallway and opened a small closet next to the bathroom. She pulled out a towel and retreated to the shower, shutting and locking the door behind her warily. Her hand turned the knob to the hot water and she shivered at the feel of the warmth slowly gathering in the small room. She looked out the small window towards the ceiling of the bathroom, seeing an overcast of clouds casting themselves across the sky. Knowing it wouldn't be nearly as hot as it had been for the past few days, she kept the water in the shower hot.

After her warm shower, Harli quickly made her way back to her room, and yet again, locked her door behind her. As she pulled her towel off her naked body to wipe it clean of the excess water, she took a look in the mirror and saw that some color had finally made its way back to her skin. The circles under her eyes had washed away in the water and the shower managed to tame the ragged hair that covered her head. Harli turned to her dresser and pulled out a set of clean undergarments, tossing them on and then moving to her closet. She pulled on a pair of dark jeans and fitted on her cowboy boots, as well as a black tank top while situating her attire securely for her day ahead.

Harli grabbed a couple granola bars from her pantry and a large bottle of water from her refrigerator. After feeding both her bird and cat, she grabbed her keys to her rusty old beater and headed towards the door. Her eyes scanned the neighborhood quickly for any signs of Chris, her heart beating against her sternum as it waited for her eyes to see him. But just because she couldn't see him, it didn't mean he wasn't there. Harli locked the door behind her and made way to her car, sitting on the sun beat leather seat and shoving her key into the ignition. As her car sat in the driveway idling, Harli looked at her bag that sat casually in the passenger's seat. Her eyes narrowed and her hand moved in between the flaps, rummaging around until she felt cold steel press back against hand. Her fingers wrapped around the handle and she slowly pulled out the black pistol, staring at it as she rested it in her lap. It had been a long time since she shot a pistol but she was about to put her skills to the test that day. Reaching down under her seat, she tucked it right beneath her just in case she was to get pulled over.

Her car rolled down the street, and for bystanders safety more than her own, she took a few back roads to the suburbs of the town. The Camaro jolted with every pothole it came into contact with, its engine grunting in dismay as Harli still needed to get the car new shocks. Dust curled up behind the rusty, black car as it made its way down the dirt road to its old home out in the country. Harli rested her head on her arm that kept itself propped up on the door, the window rolled down to let fresh, cool air into the cab. The cool air felt heavenly and Harli could feel her eyes getting tired all of a sudden, the road becoming blurry for a few seconds at a time. She pried her eyes open and leaned towards the steering wheel, stepping on the gas and hearing the engine roar faster. Her hand wiped across her face in attempts to keep her tiredness at bay and she breathed a light sigh upon seeing the long stretch of driveway on her father's property.

Harli's head leaned back against the seat once she turned the engine off to her car, her eyes closing for a few moments. A loud whinny came from inside the barn, causing Harli's eyes to pop open. She stepped out of her car and walked across the gravel, yanking open the squeaky barn door. The two horses heads turned, their ears perked, upon her sudden appearance and Sweet Pea let out a whinny. Twister was quick to voice his own opinion in the horse talk and stomped his foot inside the stall, watching Harli walk further into the barn. She pulled open the door to the tack room and grabbed Twisters halter, hurrying over to his stall and putting it on his large face. Harli pulled the black and white painted quarter horse from his stall and tied him to a post, retreating to the tack room to get all the grooming supplies.

She rubbed the soft brush over his course fur, the dust and dirt on his fur sliding off Twister's body to the ground. Harli was quick to groom him as he wasn't as dirty as she thought, moving onto the actual tack gear. She situated the saddle pad and saddle on his back, tightening the strap around his belly to make sure the saddle wouldn't slide. Tossing on his martingale and bridal, Harli pulled the straps to their designated punch holes, pulling the reins around his neck and pulling him along. Twister came to a stop once Harli did and she pulled the strap around his belly in one last time in order to tighten it. Sticking her boot in the stirrup, she struggled to pull herself up with what little strength she had and finally took a seat a top the tall horse. Harli leaned down and helped her other boot in the unoccupied stirrup, adjusting herself to a more comfortable position in the saddle.

Twisters head rolled around and he headed off down the old four wheeler trail to venture off onto their journey. Harli didn't know exactly how long she wanted to be out. She just wanted to get out and try to relieve herself off all the heaviness on her shoulders. Her body rocked lightly from the jaunt of Twister's body as his pace began to get faster with each step. He was ready to go and Harli knew what he wanted. With a sigh, she gathered up the reins in her hands and leaned forward a bit in the saddle, clenching her legs to ready herself. With a few clicks of her tongue and a light kick of her feet against Twister's belly, they were off in a mad dash.

**.:o:.**

Twister panted as Harli pulled his head back with the soft influence of the reins, his body slowing and coming to a light walk. His head bobbed like the usual horse, Harli's body following his movements, and her eyes scanning the forestry around her. A warm breeze blew through her hair, her chocolate colored locks tickling her shoulders as they crawled across her skin. The leaves of the trees rustled from the wind and spoke to their neighbors in hushed tree talk that Harli didn't understand. The sweet smell of pine and maple wafted through the air, Harli taking in the sweet scents of the forest and feeling the headache in her head slowing leaving.

Twisters flaring nostrils began to subside as his long legs took a break, Harli watching his ears move back and forth on his head. He took in all the sounds around him, judging with quickness in whether or not they were dangerous. Twister lowered his head somewhat and kept a happy, cool walk after getting most of the piss and vinegar out of himself.

His body flinched from a rustle of the bushes and Twister came to an abrupt halt, his ears perking in front of him and his head standing up. Harli narrowed her eyes and looked down at him, following his gaze through a veil of trees and seeing a deer running away from them with its baby in tow. Harli huffed and kicked at his belly, "Stop being such a scaredy cat." And with that, Twister jaunted back off down the trail in a trot, Harli posting up and down in the saddle to avoid getting a chest cramp.

The horse quickened his pace and jumped into a light canter, his heavy feet pounding against the dirt trail. It was harmonious and Harli's ears couldn't stop listening to the rhythmic sound as they kept at the pace. A crack of thunder sounded overhead and Harli looked up, seeing the clouds turning into an ominous grey. She shook the cooler air off herself and continued to ride, not caring whether or not the thunderstorm would rain its fury down upon her and her steed. A much louder, thunderous beast erupted over them, causing Twister to jump at the sound. Harli patted his shoulders in reassurance and he somewhat calmed down under her touch. Keeping a good pace, Twister continued to walk down the trail, his ears flicking back and forth upon hearing a few smaller thunder cracks over them. A flash of light reflected off the rustling leaves of the trees, Harli looking up to see yet another flicker of lightning stretching across the sky.

She pulled back on the reins, stopping Twister in his tracks and feeling him shaking his head in anticipation. Harli sighed to herself as the wind was slowly growing stronger, bringing in the storm much faster than usual. Pulling on the right rein, Twister's head wheeled around and he began to walk back down the old four-wheeler trail to the barn. Harli pouted to herself, hating the storm that loomed over her as it interrupted her stress free ride and cut it so short. But she knew it would be safer to start heading back to the barn before things got really bad; she didn't want to miraculously get struck by lightning, it would be just her luck.

A flash of lightning blindly struck across the massive sky and an insanely loud blast of thunder didn't take its time to explode. Harli swore she felt it quake the ground under her, and with that, Twister fearfully took off in a run. His hooves ruefully pounded the soft dirt below him and Harli leaned forward in the saddle, her legs slowly getting tired from keeping her balanced. Her energy storage from the granola bars she ate that morning began to drain. The wind that pounded against her face caused her eyesight to become limited, her eyes more closed than open at most points. But she trusted her horse in getting them back safely and tried to mimic his movements with her body in the saddle to ease the flow.

Suddenly, Twister let out a loud whinny and Harli opened her eyes, seeing a figure appearing out of the bushes. She didn't have time to identify who it could be before Twister lunged up on his hind legs in a rear and jumped to the side. Harli plummeted to the ground and all her breath escaped her chest as she slammed against the dirt. Her eyes clenched shut and her mouth gaped open, her ears hearing the fading sound of Twisters beating feet sprinting down the trail. Finally, her lungs allowed air to flow down her throat and she took a much needed deep breath.

"Hey!" Harli heard a voice shout and her heart skipped a beat, seeing a figure looming over her. A hard hand gripped her shoulder and she reacted fast, slamming her fist into whoever's face it was. A loud _oof!_ came from their mouth and she heard them stumble back and fall to the ground. Harli grabbed the ground and tugged her body back across the ground with a few pants, leaning up and quickly getting her feet to ready herself to run as fast as she could. Her jaw soon dropped as she saw who lied on the ground, holding his face from the blunt force of her fist,

"Oh god! D-Daryl!?" She ran forward and stood over him, leaning down and offering her hand, "I thought you were someone else!"

"Get the hell away from me!" He smacked her hand away and grunted, rolling over to his stomach. He pressed his hands down next to his chest and slowly got to his feet. Harli noticed his crossbow lying on the ground so she reached down and grabbed it, waiting for him to recover. He turned around to face her, his hand rubbing against his cheek, "What the hell!? You just go 'round punchin' people in the face every time they try to help you!?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you!" Harli argued back and Daryl snatched his trusty crossbow from her hands roughly, "I usually don't encounter random people I know in the middle of the forest! _Excuse_ me!"

The two broke off their conversation and both looked up as another round of thunder rolled overhead. Harli blinked as she felt a raindrop hit her eyelashes, her hand immediately rubbing it out of her eye. Harli felt bad once she noticed Daryl rubbing his cheek again, knowing that it must've been at least a bit sore. She was surprised, though, that she could muscle enough strength to knock him off his ass and to the ground. Everyone talked about how tough and made of steel the Dixon's were and it made Harli think twice about believing it.

"Come on. We should head back before gettin' caught in this storm. Lookin' pretty bad." Daryl turned and began to strut down the trail, his arm swaying by his side as he hooked the strap of his crossbow over his shoulder. Harli groaned from a sudden itch of pain in her back and she stumbled forward, her wobbly, tired legs continuing to carry her after him. Daryl looked over his shoulder and slowed up a bit, waiting for her to catch up. He half thought about leaving her behind just because she punched him in the face, but he knew that the fall she took was a pretty nasty one and he didn't want to be too much of an asshole.

"What are you doing out here, anyways?" Harli asked, resting a hand on her hip and pushing the pressure of her hand against the soreness. Daryl looked over at her briefly, then back down the trail,

"Huntin'." His eye twitched from a sudden twinge of an annoying pain, "Merle and your old man went out to Buckswed to meet the Sons. I just stayed here to wait for them to get back."

"The _Sons_?" Harli asked, not knowing what it meant. Daryl's blue eyed gaze turned to her,

"Savage Sons Motorcycle Club. Merle and your daddy used to be a part of them for a long while."

"So that's who he rode with, huh?" Harli heard a softer crack of thunder and a felt a few droplets of rain hit her skin, "He never told me who they were."

"Yeah, well that's who they are."

"You're not a part of them?" Harli asked a bit curiously and Daryl shook his head,

"Can't be part of a _motorcycle_ club without a _motorcycle_."

"Why won't Merle let you use his? It's not like he rides it all the time."

"He rides it as much as he can. He rode his out to Buckswed and Russ rode his." Daryl scoffed and shook his head, "That bike is Merle's and only Merle's."

"So are they like... a part of the MC again or something?" Harli asked and Daryl shook his head,

"No. They just got long time buddies in the club. They just went out there to talk about goin' to Sturgis this year and whether or not they were gonna let Merle ride with 'em. I don't think Russ is gonna go, he just wanted to go for the ride."

"Strugis, huh?" Harli smiled and looked back through the rustling trees, her hair dancing about in the harsh wind, "I've always wanted to go to Sturgis."

"Makes two of us." Daryl scoffed and Harli looked back at him,

"Why don't you rent a bike or something and go?"

"Uh uh... no way. Ain't gonna ride a bike there unless its mine." Daryl shook his head, completely tossing the idea aside, "Now I got that damn dog I don't really have the money to buy one."

"Yeah, but dogs are lifelong partners. You can't argue with that."

"So are motorcycles." Daryl replied with a point and Harli nodded,

"That's true... where is that little runt, anyways?"

"Ruckus? I left him back at the house. Can't exactly make him into a huntin' dog quite yet... he'll just bark and scare everything away." Harli laughed at the thought and looked over at him,

"So, you decided to name him Ruckus?"

"Well yeah... can't exactly call him _dog_, _runt, _and _mutt _the rest of his life." Daryl shrugged his shoulder, internally caught like a mouse that he thought the name she picked was a perfect one for _his_ dog.

"That's a good name for him. He seems like a little asshole."

"That's cuz he is. Little bastard bit Felicia the other day. I about threw him out the goddamn window." Harli pouted at the sound of her name, but couldn't help but smile at the thought of him biting the blonde haired harlot. There was a slightly awkward silence between them as the cold, bitter wind blew against their bodies as they walked. Harli throat choked down a stubborn lump and she gathered up the courage to ask,

"So... you and Felicia? You guys together or something?"

"No." Daryl was quick to reply in Harli's surprise, "She's cool to hang out with an all, but I ain't lookin' for that sort of thing. We've known each other since we were kids."

"That's cool I guess." Harli said as casually as possible and Daryl narrowed his eyes,

"You jealous or somethin'?" Harli felt her heart skip a beat and tried to keep a leveled head. She laughed under her breath,

"Hardly. I've just heard nothing but bad things about her, especially from Red. Just wondering why you would want all that trouble, that's all."

"I ain't stupid." He scoffed and Harli looked to him, "I'm not gettin' caught up in the shit she causes around here."

"I never said you should."

A violent crack of thunder shook their ears and it was like a bell had been rung. Rain erupted from the sky in a never-ending downpour and Harli felt her skin drench within seconds. The cold water struck the ground with unending aggression, causing the dirt to jump out of the rains way upon impact on the ground. The trees shuddered under the tyranny and threatened to offer no solace to the two figures standing on the ground, their legs jumping off the ground in a jog. Wind brushed up against them, bringing the rain along with it as it pelted their faces and soaked into their hair. Harli and Daryl's boots sunk into the mud as they ran, Daryl looking up briefly as a large flicker of lightning touch down on the earth somewhere in the distance. With its touch it brought yet another thunderous tone of loud subjugation of claiming the terrain below it. A deer ran out from the bushes in front of Daryl and Harli, practically leaping in the air once it saw them running towards it, its tail flicking up and its legs bounding itself back into the bushes.

Harli finally saw the barn just in the distance and pushed her body further, lightening her sprint to a jog just as she approached. She jumped in through the large door to take refuge from the carnivorous rain, Daryl not far behind her. Harli came to a stop and panted, landing herself on a bale of hay in the corner and leaning back against the wall, waiting for her heart to break out of her chest. She turned her head and looked over to see Twister standing in the corner of his stall, Sweet Pea standing against the wall of hers watching him closely.

"God damn..." Daryl breathed, leaning against the wall, "That storm ain't fuckin' around."

"No..." Harli shook her head and her eyes were quick to look over at him, seeing his hair, clothes, and body soaked, "No it isn't."

"We should get up to the house; if we stay out here we'll both get sick."

"Good idea..." Harli stood up and looked over towards the Twisters stall, "Let me just get all that stuff of him and I'll meet you up there."

"Alright..." Daryl nodded and stepped to the edge of the barn doors frame, staring out at the heavy rain. With a deep breath, he moved one foot in front of the other and stepped off into a jog, his arm up over his head to save his face from the rains onslaught.

Harli turned around and pulled Twister from his stall, tying him back up to his post. She was quick to undress him of all his saddle gear, noticing that he was dry of any rain and most likely made it back before the storm. The rain bombarded the tin roof above her and it was the only thing that managed to flood her ears. She swore it would break under the pressure at any point in time and even more rain and water would take her out. After Twister was rid of his riding gear, Harli shoved his stall door shut and made sure to lock it so he wouldn't get out. She walked out of the barn and stood in the rain, pulling the heavy barn door closed and locking it as well. With a huff, she turned around and ran towards her father's house, the rain managing to fall even harder with antagonizing speed upon seeing her trying to avoid its assault.

Harli burst through the back door and slammed it behind her, the curtains ramming back against the hardwood door angrily from her sudden appearance. She panted and lied the back of her head against the door briefly, hearing a pair of boots making their way across the floor. Harli then pushed off the door and walked out of the kitchen, almost running into Daryl in the process. The two stared at each other for a moment before Harli broke the silence, "You need any clothes? You're soaked."

"No. I'll be fine." Daryl shook his head and stepped out of her way as she moved past him. She disappeared into the hallway and Daryl wiped his hand down his face, feeling his facial scruff scratching against his palm. He looked down and noticed a small pool of water formed where he stood, the water dripping off the tips of his shirt. Mud caked his boots, as well as the lower ends of his pants, from running on the dirt tracked trail.

"I wonder where Clayton is." Daryl turned back around to face Harli as she walked back into the room, a larger t-shirt draped down her chest. A pair of gym type shorts situated themselves on her hips, her feet barefoot, "Did he go with my dad?"

"No. he left a little while ago." Daryl leaned against the wall, eyeing his crossbow on the other side of the room. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying not to stare too much at Harli soaked face, "Candy called him and asked to go to lunch. So he stole your dad's truck and went after Russ left."

"Sounds like him..." Harli scoffed and moved back past Daryl into the kitchen. Daryl's eyes trailed after her and he turned around to follow, stopping and leaning on the doorframe. He watched her curiously and she looked over her shoulder at him with a smile, "My dad's going to kill you if he sees the mess you left."

"No matter. It's payback for all the messes he left after the parties he and Merle had back at my house." Daryl shrugged off the thought of Russ trying to kick his ass for all the muddy, wet puddles scattered across his floor. Daryl nodded at her as she reached into a few cupboards, "What're you doin'?"

"You hungry?" She ignored the question, looking back at him as he pulled out a pan, "You were hunting for a reason, out there. I take it you were gonna cook up whatever you caught." Daryl continued to chew on his inner cheek, feeling his stomach growling at him to answer her. With a nod, Daryl leaned more into the wall and relaxed, remembering how good her cooking actually was,

"Yeah... sure."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Hey guys! Glad everyone's liking the story so far :) I love all the feedback I'm getting it makes me smile with each and every review I get from you guys! Anyways, this might be the last update for the next couple weeks because as of next Friday morning I will be on my way to California for a 10 day vacation with my family! Woohoo!**

**Also, if you haven't already, could you guys check out my Rick/OC story **_**The Reapers Lullaby?**_** I just want to get a bit more feedback on it since I just started the story a couple months ago! Pretty please?**

**Oh yeah... and I changed Chris' last name to Rodgers instead of Evans xD too many people keep mixing him up with actual ACTOR Chris Evans lol**

**Thanks everybody :) I'm so lucky to have awesome fans such as you all! Cheers and happy Memorial Day weekend~**

"Where'd you learn to cook?" Daryl asked curiously, his hands deep in the front of his pockets while he leaned on the doorframe to the kitchen. The delightful scents of whatever Harli cooked wafted through the air, making Daryl's stomach growl with anticipating hunger. He watched steam rise up above Harli's head as she stirred a pot full of unknown savories. Harli finally looked over her shoulder, her green eyes seeming a bit brighter than when they first ran into each other earlier. Daryl shifted a bit uncomfortably under her stare, careful to keep her eyes on her face as he noticed her damp hair was causing her shirt to become wet under the dribbles.

"I was left at home a lot when I was younger... had to learn how to cook for myself." She put the wooden spoon down on the counter, its head caked with the contents of whatever she was cooking. Daryl cleared his throat and cocked her head,

"Where the hell was Russ?"

"Out... doing stuff." Harli said plainly before turning back around, "Whatever he did back then." Daryl caught the somberness in her voice and bit down on his lip, regretting even asking the question. As he stared at her back, watching her shoulder roll into its socket as she stirred the food in the pot, Daryl straightened himself out. A twinge of chilliness bit at his skin, his clothes still sopping wet from the storm continuing to rage from the sky outside.

"I'll take those dry clothes now." His raspy voice said as his hand ran uncomfortably through his hair. Harli looked back over her shoulder and her hand stopped stirring while she looked at his wet, disheveled appearance. With a nod and a smile, Harli walked past him and pulled on his shirt as she passed,

"Alright... just follow me." Daryl loyally followed her tug and turned around, following her towards Clayton's bedroom. He stopped in the doorway as she stepped in further, her quiet steps leading her to the closet on the other side of the room. Daryl watched her carefully, her arms moving flawlessly as she picked through the different t-shirts hanging on the rack. He cursed to himself mentally, wishing that his blue eyes could see more of her figure under the baggy clothing that she chose to wear. But quickly, he shook his head of the thoughts, feeling the light flicks of his brown hair smacking against his face.

"Here." Daryl finally refocused his eyes on Harli as she extended some clothing out towards him. He stared at it for a few moments, frowning at the sight of Clayton's clothing, "Hope this is good enough."

"Actually... I think I'll just go find somethin' in your dads closet." He shook his head in refusal to Clayton's poor choice of clothing, "You're brother's a bit smaller than me, so I'd like not to feel like a girl when wearin' his clothes." Harli couldn't help but smile at the thought and tossed the clothes back on the bed.

"Whatever you say." She shrugged her shoulder and he turned around, this time, Harli following him out of the hallway. Daryl moved to the other side of the house where Russ' room stood, Daryl opened the door and disappearing inside.

Harli watched curiously, not hearing the door click behind him to be fully shut. She stopped in the doorframe of the kitchen briefly, watching as the door slowly crept open with utter silence. It was a bit ominous as it only left only a crack open, but it was plenty for Harli to see. Harli pushed herself behind the wall a couple more inches, making sure that if Daryl decided to turn around he wouldn't see her. A flash of skin caused Harli's breath to catch up in her throat, noticing that Daryl had peeled the wet shirt off his torso. She heard it slap against the ground and goosebumps rolled across her skin once she actually stared back at what her eyes witnessed. Daryl's back seemed to taunt her as she stared at the contorted muscles that were formed by nothing but hard work; the body of a meticulous country boy. Harli noticed a couple older looking tattoo's that plagued his back, as well as some blemishes that she couldn't make out from her distance. But the way that his muscles moved under his skin as his arms rolled around on his body made Harli blush at the thoughts that were running through her mind. Wet, tan skin, damp, dark brown hair, and his rough body alone was causing Harli's body to heat up with excitement.

Harli spun around the doorframe and her back slid down against a cabinet, her knees drawn to her chest once she saw him toss a shirt on his body. She was too embarrassed to keep watching and closed her eyes, taking a very much needed, deep breath. _'Calm down, Harli... you wouldn't even know what to do with a body like that no matter how smart you might be.'_ She thought to herself with a groan. Her heart rammed against the core of her chest and she pressed the palm of her hand against it in attempts to calm it down. With a deep breath, the pounding crawled up her throat and clouded her ears, her pulse teasing her for her reaction to what she just saw.

"What the hell you doin' on the floor?" Harli jumped at the sound of Daryl's voice and her frantic green eyes looked up at him as he towered over her. His striking blue eyes narrowed at her odd behavior as she scrambled to her feet, her hand smoothing out her shirt,

"I uh... I uh..." Harli struggled to form words at his sudden appearance and he stepped towards her, Harli stepping back away from him shyly, "I just felt lightheaded is all."

"Maybe you should sit down. You don't look too good."

"I'm fine, I promise!" Harli breathed and turned back around, pressing her bangs back behind her ear as she hovered over the now boil pot on the stove. The warmth of the pot heated up her face even more, causing a light sweat to break out across her brow. She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and let out a stifled breath, turning around to grab a bowl for Daryl's meal.

She gasped when Daryl was leaning on the counter behind her, not realizing how close he had actually been to her. The wooden spoon dropped to the floor with a clank and Daryl looked down at it, seeing the splatters of food residue all over the wooden surface. He leaned down and grabbed it off the floor, taking the wooden spoon while leaning back up to face her. The two stared at each other, green eyes to blue, and they each took notice to the unknown look in one another's eyes. Harli could feel her chest heating up again under his surprisingly smoldering stare, but she couldn't pull away from it; it was so alluring the way he looked at her. She had been under many stares like it, but for some reason, it didn't feel as uncomfortable. They were alone, by themselves in this house, wet, cold, and under each other's lustful stares.

"Shit, shit, shit!" The back door slammed open and a figure jumped through, both Daryl and Harli's heads flicking in the direction. Her eyes picked up a flash of blonde hair and she ran through the doorframe of the kitchen,

"Clayton!? What the hell!?"

"Dad found out I stole his truck! He's gonna tear me a new asshole!" Clayton's voice echoed through the house as he slammed his bedroom door shut behind him. The door slammed open next to Harli once again and she watched as her father's burly figure trudged into the house,

"Where the hell is that worthless son of mine!?" He immediately looked to Harli, who stepped back and out of Russ' way. Water dripped off his soaked clothing, Harli knowing he had a rough ride back on his motorcycle through the storm. Russ then broke through the living room, making a straight line towards Clayton's bedroom. Harli poked her head around the corner and as Russ shoved open Clayton's door, Harli could see his feet sticking out of the window as he was trying to make a quick escape.

"Oh damn, it's really comin' down out there!" Daryl already knew Merle wasn't too far behind Russ and Merle jogged through the door, closing it behind him. Harli stepped back into the kitchen and Merle followed after, grabbing a towel off the counter and wiping his face in one sweep. He then tossed the towel on his head, the ends hanging from his head as he took a look around, "This what you been doin' all day, little brother? Playin' easy bake oven with little Harli Sweetheart over here?" Merle tossed Harli a grin over his shoulder at her and Daryl huffed,

"Fuck off, Merle." The three turned upon hearing a shout from Clayton's bedroom, Harli looking back over the side of the kitchen doorframe, seeing her father marching towards his room. Harli stepped out of the uncomfortable, testosterone filled kitchen and jogged towards Clayton's bedroom to see if her little brother was okay.

As she stepped in, she could hear a soft groan come from the other side of his bed, his legs slowly moving out from behind it. Harli stood at the foot of his shaggy mattress, staring down at him lying on the floor while holding his face, "Are you alright?" She asked as Clayton moved his hands and she saw a bruise forming on his cheek and a rebellious smile cross his face,

"That date with Candy was definitely worth it..."

**.:o:.**

The bright headlights of Harli's trusty Camaro uncovered the darkness of the road, the tires rolling down the street with quickness. Harli sighed and laid her head back on the seat, letting her breath out slowly as her tired eyes were getting the best of her. She had spent the rest of the day at her father's house, riding out the storm and feeding the four large men the pot of chili she had made. The memory caused a smile to lift up on her lips knowing that she made all of them happy with her cooking. While they ate, Harli tossed her clothing, as well as Daryl's, into the dryer so that they both could wear their own set of clothes home. Russ was already irritated that Daryl had invaded his closet and Clayton told Harli that she should wear baggy clothes more often so that men wouldn't be so attracted to her. That jerk.

Harli could smell him. After pulling her clothes out of the dryer, she could smell the musky aroma of Daryl's clothing on her. It took over the cab of her car, causing her eyes to glaze over with delight at the scent. There was a hint of maple, a hint of dirt, and a hint of wet grass that meshed so beautifully together that she wished there was a perfume to smell like it.

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the captivating stare off she had with Daryl before the boys busted through the door. She couldn't tell exactly what the spark in his eye held, but she knew she was giving him the same look. Daryl was different than any other man she had met. He was an asshole, but around her, for some reason, he acted entirely different on account. There was a definite attraction between the two and Harli could feel it. It was so indifferent to her, though, as she had a hard time getting boyfriends before. Men always were attracted to her in all kinds of ways, but not the ways in which Harli hoped. All they wanted was to get in her pants and swap war stories to all their buddies in how they got with a hot girl the night before. Harli wasn't into something like that. Daryl was the first one who hadn't made an advance like that towards her, yet for that matter.

Harli pulled into her driveway and turned her old car off, twisting the peg to the headlights and watching them go dark. She closed her eyes as she leaned her head back, rubbing her hand on her leg and feeling the tingle of her fingers through her jeans. Blowing her held breath through her lips, she grabbed her bag from the passenger's seat and shoved her door open. Her boots found the cracked, cripple concrete of her driveway and she walked towards her door through the darkness, her finger trying to find her designated house key. She then stopped at the top of her stairs perched outside her door, her eyes struggling to see the right key on the ring. With a huff, she turned and used the porch light of her neighbor's house to find the key, seeing the soft light bouncing off the metal of the scrapped keys.

Harli's face rammed up against the hard door of her house, tasting the familiar tang of blood rushing into her mouth. Her wide eyes searched for the cause but she felt a rough hand grab her arm and twist it up against her back. She let out a cry but soon another hand clasped down on her mouth, a heavy body pressing up behind her. Her breaths escaped frantically through her nostrils and panic riddled through her veins as adrenaline pierced her heart feverishly. The presence of her perpetrator slid behind her ear as she felt hot breath hit her skin, "What're you doin' with some backwoods redneck, huh?"

Her heart suddenly dropped from her ribcage and into the pit of her stomach, a hard roll of air straining its way down her thin esophagus. Chris' voice slid back into her ears like a hissing snake, "Just gonna whore it up in town? You've been hangin' around him an awful lot lately. Do I need to go pay him a little visit?" Harli shook her head violently and Chris whipped her around to face him, his hand wrapping around her neck. He smiled once he felt her swallow a dry gasp, "You're gonna come with me, right now. We have a bit of talkin' to do."

"I'm not goin' anywhere with you!" Harli managed to choke back and Chris gritted his teeth, slamming his fist as hard as he could manage into Harli's jaw. Harli fell down to the cold concrete platform of her porch, her senses jarred from the impact of his jagged knuckles. Her tongue licked the top of mouth and she felt a hand yank at her shirt, "Get the fuck away from me!" She shoved her foot forward and she heard a shout come from his mouth, knowing she had kicked him hard between the legs. Her keys jingled in her hands as she fumbled for the right key, grabbing one at random and shoving it into the keyhole.

'_The gun is in the car! The gun is in the car!'_ Her mind repeated over and over but her hand twisted the knob of the door. She let out a gasp of relief as the door swung open and she immediately crawled into the house, kicking the door shut behind her. Her hand latched back onto the handle of her door and her shaking fingers fumbled with the locks, finally hearing them lock into place. Harli crawled back on her hands away from the door, half expecting him to come bursting through and wrap his hands back around her throat.

Her face twitched under the influence of the painful throbbing in her jaw, her hand rubbing over the spot. As Harli's chest slowed in her breaths, Harli narrowed her eyes at the door as Chris made no attempt to try and pursue after her, making her more nervous than usual. Her feet picked her up and she stumbled to the back slider glass door, making sure it was locked tightly. Through the darkness, Harli managed to check all her windows to make sure they were all locked to ensure Chris couldn't get in so easily.

Harli backtracked to her couch and slowly sat down on the oddly uncomfortable cushions, drawing her legs to her chest and staring at the wall. Her chest dropped as she let out a deep breath, warmth crawling up the back of her throat past the blood she was swallowing. Her lips quivered and her eyes watered from the shock a few sobs escaping in panicked breaths. Harli dug her face into her shaking hands, feeling her fingernails digging into her skin. Her ears picked up the faint sound of Gumbo in his black cage propped in the corner, a few coos purring towards her in attempted comfort.

As soon as Harli opened her eyes, the sun poked through her living room curtains and her brain jumbled with all sorts of thoughts. She tightened her jaw and instantly regretted it, feeling the nasty soreness of her muscle wound bite back at her sharply. Her heart beat quickly through her ears as she tried to gauge her situation, finally realizing that it was morning. She didn't remember when she fell asleep or how, but as she lifted herself up off the couch, her hand went to her phone on the table. She gasped at the sight of the time and jumped to her feet, all the blood rushing to her head in sudden vertigo. Harli quickly steadied herself, noticing three missed calls from her father and two missed calls from Clayton staring back at her from her phone's screen. Harli rushed to her bag still lying on the floor, not bothering to change her dirty clothes as she hurried to the door. Her hand shook on the handle and she closed her eyes, her lips moving in inaudible words before she cocked the door open, reaching her head through cautiously. Once she didn't see any sign of Chris, she rushed out of the house and locked her door swiftly behind her. In a blur, she found herself in her car and her eyes darting to and from everything outside her vehicle, making sure her stalker didn't pop out of nowhere.

Harli rammed her car into reverse and sped out of her driveway, pushing the shifter back into first gear. Her feet simultaneously pressed on the gas and the clutch, causing her car to lurch forward and the wheels to spin against the asphalt of the road. The old Camaro chugged out of the neighborhood and onto the back roads towards Waldgrave Automotive and Specialties. She was now four hours late to work, not believing that she had slept in so late. Her mind shot off in all kinds of different directions and a stressful sweat breaking out on her clammy skin. With the turn of the cars wheel, she skidded around a corner and saw a stop sign in the distance, warning her to begin slowing her vehicle. Harli's boot pressed on the brake, but what she happened next was something she didn't expect entirely.

Her car wasn't stopping. Harli shoved her foot down on her brakes as hard as she could, all the way to the floor, but her car still didn't come to a safe stop. Harli fearfully stared out the windshield of her car, seeing the two-way in front of her coming closer and closer with each second. If she didn't stop in time, she was going to run into the large poles holding up the thick fencing of a cattle yard. Harli looked down at thought fast, yanking on the emergency brake in attempts to save herself. But still, the Camaro kept careening towards the cross traffic, a few cars whisking by without taking notice to her. Harli gritted her teeth and ignored the surging pain in her jaw, shoving her car into first gear from third, feeling her car jolt backwards. The RPM's screamed back at her violently in protest to being locked into first gear, but gradually, the Camaro slowed itself. She pumped the brakes as much as she could, but the car still wouldn't come to a complete stop. Looking both ways down the streets, she blew through the stop sign and turned in the opposite direction of town, now even more careful as she drove.

**.:o:.**

Daryl yanked out the radiator of an old car, tossing it out of the shop and watching radiator fluid splatter all over the concrete. He looked off in the yard and saw Ruckus perched under a tree in the shade to avoid the hot Georgian sun overhead. Daryl looked up at the sky, not seeing one ominous cloud in the distance to wreck the sunny day. As he turned around to get back to work, he looked up to be greeted by a beer, "Here you are, hun."

"Thanks." Daryl grabbed the beer from Felicia's hand as she sat back down on the stool he had given her. While taking a large swig, he set the beer down on a small table and eyed Felicia, who watched him intently. He didn't know why she was sitting in the shop and why exactly she showed up, she just did. Daryl turned back around to check the wiring around the empty spot of the radiator, making sure they weren't completely fried. But to his dismay, they were and it was just another thing to replace on the damned vehicle.

"Hey Daryl, I've been meanin' to ask you."

"What?" He asked gruffly, not turning to face her and keeping his eyes on the task at hand. Felicia leaned back against the wall, her brown eyes staring lustfully at his muscled back,

"Me and a few old friends are gonna be hittin' the bar tonight. Was wonderin' if you and Merle wanted to tag along, maybe Mitch and Jay too."

"I don't know. Not really feelin' up to gettin' drunk tonight."

"Oh come on... I'll make it worth your while, I swear." She smiled as her velvety voice puckered in his ears. He leaned up and turned halfway to face her,

"I'll think about it, but I can't guarantee nothin'. Merle and I... we've been pretty busy lately."

"All work and no play makes little Daryl a dull boy." She jumped off the stool and stood next to him while Daryl wiped his hands on a shop rag. Daryl felt her hand rest on his shoulder as she continued to persuade him, "I'll buy the drinks, ain't no skin off my bones."

"I said maybe." Daryl's ears picked up the familiar sound of a familiar engine making way towards his shop. Daryl looked up and narrowed his eyes, recognizing the dull blackness of Harli's old steel steed as it hurried down the driveway. He tilted his head curiously at the sound of its RPM's skyrocketing through the roof, his legs carrying him to the edge of the shade persuaded by the shop. As the car rolled slowly, Harli jumped out of the car and grabbed onto the frame, pulling the car to a complete stop. Daryl grew alerted by her expression, seeing nothing but fear written across her face. Felicia narrowed her eyes as Daryl walked out to greet the unfamiliar brunette.

"Are-are you busy!?" Harli called as she stood next to her car, her legs wobbling as she watched Daryl approach. He briefly looked at her car, then back at her,

"What the hell's wrong?"

"My brakes, they're not working!" She voiced with much frustration, her hand grazing through her tangled hair. Her eyebrows quivered on her face and Daryl tossed her a questioning glance before he crouched down onto the ground. The Camaro allotted Daryl enough space underneath it to slide under and check out the problem.

As Daryl sat under the dirty car, his eyes searched for any type of problem underneath the engine. He checked wires and panels of the car, but didn't see the damage that was causing her brakes not to work. But as he gave up his search to check the brake fluid, something interesting caught his eye and caused him to stop. Daryl's brow furrowed and his hand grabbed a very large, very important wire, seeing that it was snapped in half. The woodsy mechanic wriggled out from under the car, looking up at Harli and watching as she shoulders shook while her arms were crossed over her chest. Finally getting to his feet, his eyes squinted from the sunlight bearing down on them, "Your brake line... it's been cut."

"Cut? What do you mean cut!?" She asked frantically and Daryl stepped towards her,

"Like someone took a pair of wire cutters and snapped 'em in half."

"Oh god..." She placed her hand on her forehead and he watched her lips quiver, "This isn't happening... I have to get to work... I have to get to work!"

"You ain't goin' nowhere." She looked up at Daryl as his blue eyes stared down at her, "You don't look so good, you should probably go sit down in the shop or somethin'." Harli then looked past Daryl and saw Felicia standing in the door of the shop, staring out at her with venomous eyes. Harli took a couple steps back and shook her head,

"No... no I'll be fine."

"Quit sayin' you're fine. It's pretty obvious you're not." Daryl followed after her as she continued to step away from him,

"I have to get to work. If I don't my dad is going to kill me!" She shook her head, "You don't understand! My motorcycles need to get fixed!"

"Stop your blabberin'!"

"And if I don't get back my dad's going to fire me... and if I get fired I won't have a job and I'm gonna have to move back in with him and just... just..." Harli's voice faded off and she felt a groggy feeling in the pit of her stomach, her mouth becoming suddenly dry. Daryl narrowed his eyes,

"Hey!?" Daryl reached out and grabbed her arm just as her knees buckled out from under her, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Daryl kept her from falling to the hot concrete, not wanting her skin to singe of her arms from the heated block.

"What the hell's wrong with her?" He looked over his shoulder as Felicia casually walked up with her arms crossed, "Does she like to pass out everywhere she goes?"

"Shut up and go call Russ!" Daryl barked as he pulled Harli's lightweight body up, reaching his arms under her legs.

"I don't have a phone so I don't know what to tell ya."

"What?" He hissed and saw the jealousy in a wicked smile on her face as she shrugged her shoulder,

"Just go tossed her in the cool grass, she'll be just fine."

"God you can be such a bitch sometimes."

"Excuse me?"

"I said you can be an annoying bitch!" She narrowed her eyes and shoved past him, almost knocking Harli out of his arms,

"Have fun with your little damsel in distress! Toodle-Loo!" She waved over her shoulder and walked towards her car. Daryl grinded his teeth together and tore away towards the house, jogging halfway before jumping up the steps.

He ripped through the door and made way towards his bedroom, shoving through the doorway and leaning over his bed. Carefully, he rested Harli's body on the uncomfortable mattress and knelt down, pressing his fingers up against her neck. Her pulse raced against his finger and her skin was hot to the touch, making Daryl a bit concerned. He shoved back onto his feet and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl and filling it with cold water. While grabbing a small rag, he rushed back into the room and dipped the rag into the cold water, ringing it out but not completely. Daryl pressed the rag down on her forehead and left it there for a while to cool down her temperature.

The way she was walking to him before the incident made his brow furrow once again. The worry and fear on her face made him wonder what was going on with her and why she was acting the way she did. Daryl then took notice to the large bruise on her face and grabbed her chin, slowly pulling it further into his view. It was rather large and blue with heaviness, Daryl knowing for a fact that she didn't have it yesterday by what he could see. And by his knowledge, he was staring at her face quite a bit. A couple more bruises, faint but still there, caused his eyes to narrow upon seeing them around her neck.

**.:o:.**

Harli felt sick to her stomach. Her eyes moved back and forth under her eyelids and slowly, the flood of sounds around her rushed through her ears. As her breath coursed through her scratchy throat, Harli's chest convulsed in a cough and her face grew sore from opening her jaw. With a soft groan, her green eyes opened and she stared at a white ceiling above her. Tilting her head on the pillow under her head and narrowing her eyes, her mind undergoing a mass of confusion. Her hand moved under her and it shoved her up in a frenzy, her eyes darting back and forth across the room in trying to figure out where she was.

"Finally... thought I was gonna have to take you to the hospital." Harli shoved herself back and fell off the bed, staring back at Daryl in the frame of the door. Daryl stepped further in, crossing his arms and staring down at her, "You alright?"

"Where am I?" She breathed, looking around the room once again, "What time is it?"

"Calm down."

"I need to go." Harli got to her feet and pressed up against the wall, holding her stomach and clenching her eyes shut. As she made way to the door, Daryl pressed his hand on his shoulder and stopped her,

"You ain't goin' anywhere." He pushed her back towards the bed and she sat down on the edge, staring up at him with a fearful look. Daryl let out a sigh, "Not until you tell me what's goin' on."

"What do you mean?" She shook her head and narrowed her eyes, "Nothing's going on."

"Okay then someone just randomly cut your brake line in your car." Harli nervously chewed on the inside of her cheek at the thought, finally remembering why she was at his house, "And why you had this little thing tucked under your seat... loaded." Harli's eyes widened at the sight of Red's black pistol in his hand as he pulled it out from behind him. A hard lump rolled down her throat and she felt so small under his stare,

"I... just keep it for protection."

"From who? You just don't carry around a loaded pistol under your seat. For one, it's illegal." Daryl tossed the pistol on his bed and Harli stared at it fearfully, "I unloaded it. Now... you gonna tell me what's goin' on or do I have to shake it out of you?"

Harli couldn't breathe for a few moments as she stared into his eyes, seeing the determination boring down at her. Her hands began to shake on her knees, her fingernails digging into her pants and she looked down at the floor. While squeezing her eyes shut, she felt her stomach becoming sick again as her mind fought back and forth. She wanted to tell Daryl everything, wanted him to just stay at her house and watch her front door the entire night. But at the same time, having him know about it might not be the best idea because she knew how gung-ho he could about it. "There's this guy..." Her lips breathed out before her mind could stop her and she finally managed to look back up at him, "He's been stalking me for... almost three weeks."

"Is he the one who did that to your face?" Daryl asked before chewing on his lip, staring at the dark bruise on her face. Harli nodded her head and her lips quivered as a couple tears managed to stray down her cheek,

"Y-yeah... when I got home last night... he jumped me on my front porch and shoved me up against the door." She wiped the tears away quickly and clasped her hands back together in her lap, "He told me to go with him... but I wouldn't so he punched me in the face."

"Why haven't you called the cops?"

"I do... but they won't do anything about it. They say there's not enough evidence."

"Fuckin' assholes." Daryl shook his head and scoffed, then looked back down at her, "Where's he live? You know?"

"No... the only time I see him is when he shows up out of nowhere or drives by myself in this blacked out Mercedes..." Harli rubbed her arm uncomfortably, "Red gave me that gun to protect myself..."

"So he's just some random guy followin' you around?"

"No... I dated him a few years ago." She looked down and Daryl's jaw tightened, his hand balling into a fist.

"Come on... I'll take you home." His head flicked over his shoulder and he dropped his arms to his side. Harli stared up at him and shook her head,

"If you don't mind... I'd like to go to the shop." He could hear a slight tone of anxiety in her voice and he nodded in agreement, knowing she was too scared to go back home at the moment. Harli stood up and followed Daryl out of his house towards the baby blue Ford in his driveway. She stared at her Camaro and walked towards it, grabbing her bag out of the passenger's seat and shouldering the strap on her shoulder. Harli heard the Ford growl to life behind her and turned, seeing Daryl ready to go.

"I'll fix your car, don't worry." Daryl said as his truck shoved down the dirt road, Harli staring out the window, "Won't take me long to put a new break cable back in it."

"Thanks..." She mumbled and Daryl looked over at her, letting out a huff at her behavior. He didn't like seeing her so _not her_,

"If you're so worried 'bout this guy... why don't you have Clayton or someone stay at your house with you?"

"Because..." Harli managed to tear her eyes from the beautiful scenery flashing by to look straight at him, "I had a couple friends back in Atlanta that tried to intervene... he threatened to kill them both and he even beat one of them up."

"Clayton can handle his own." Daryl shook his head, speaking highly of her little brother for the first time, "The kids tough."

"It doesn't matter..." She looked down at her lap, then back out the window, "If something happened to Clayton because of me... I don't know what I would do."

The entire ride to town was slow and awkward, Harli keeping to herself most of the time while staring out the window. She seemed somewhat calmer in his eyes, but that was still remained to be seen. There could have been so much more going on underneath her skin that he didn't even know about. Every time he saw the bruise on her cheek, his hand tightened around the steering wheel and anger boiled his blood. Nothing made his blood boil more than knowing a man was putting his hands on a woman to intentionally hurt him. Sure, he grew up under his dad's reign with Merle, who barely had any respect for woman, but the Dixon boys knew when a line was crossed and they didn't take too kindly to it.

Daryl followed the familiar roads down to Waldgrave Automotive and Specialties, stopping at signs and lights when needed. He kept his eye on Harli, who only continued to stare out the window, and occasionally he would see her hands tremor in her lap at the sight of a black car. She didn't look good, sickly even, and he knew she was suffering from nothing but fear. Finally, he pressed on the breaks next to the curb of the shop and leaned back in his seat while staring over at Harli. His eyes narrowed when he saw her shoulders tensed up and she made no movement to get out of the vehicle, her eyes staring out through the window. As Daryl's eyes moved up, his teeth immediately began to gnaw on the inside of his cheek upon seeing a blacked out car on the other side of the street. The familiar symbol of the Mercedes-Benz logo sat on the hood of the car in a little chrome figure and he knew that her prowler was sitting in there. He was sitting in there, staring at her, and getting off on her fear of him. He was in complete control.

"Thanks Daryl..." Her voice was droll and low as she spoke, her tired eyes staring back at him, "Just call me when my car's done?"

"Yeah..." Daryl nodded and as she shoved out of the car, his hand was quick after her as he latched onto her arm. He surprisingly didn't startle her and she only looked back at him, "Be careful... and let me know if ya'll need anthing." Harli only nodded back at him and he let her arm go, hearing the passengers door shut and watching her walk around the front of the truck.

Once she was safely inside, Daryl turned back towards the alleyway in which the blacked out vehicle was parked and saw it backing up and disappearing from sight. Daryl roughly shoved his truck back into gear and sped off, taking his first right at the next street. He turned the wheel violently around it a couple circles, his truck bouncing off the curb and into the parking lot behind the set of shops in which the car disappeared to. There was only one way out and Daryl knew it. The black car came to a stop in front of his truck and Daryl jumped out of his truck, slamming his door shut and marching towards the black car. He watched the driver's door open and Daryl stopped when the man stepped out, taking in his features.

Chris was easily a couple inches taller than Daryl and Daryl observed the fact that he was a bit taller, but paid the thought no mind. He had taken guys on in a bar fight that were six foot three and weighed three hundred pounds. Daryl then watched as Chris' brown eyes narrowed at him, "Was wonderin' when I'd meet you face to face."

"You the asshole that won't leave Harli alone?"

"Asshole? I ain't no asshole. I'm her boyfriend. We're just havin' some... issues."

"Not what she said." Daryl huffed and took another few steps towards him. Chris only smiled,

"You that bitches new dog?" Before Chris knew it, he was face down on the concrete with a mouthful of blood. His tongue waded it all up and his spit it out through his lips, growling as he got back to his feet. Daryl's nostrils flared with clear anger as Chris stared back at him, his hand wiping across his mouth, "Nasty fist you got there."

"You know what's good for you you'll leave her the fuck alone."

"No." Chris said plainly and Daryl saw a darkness cloud over his eyes, "Because she ain't yours and nobody else's. She's mine, you redneck fuck. And I'm gonna keep goin' after her and after her... even if it _kills_ her."

Daryl charged after the tall man, Chris now ready for his attack. Daryl shoved his shoulder into Chris stomach and immediately took him to the ground, Daryl's arm scraping against the asphalt below him. he grunted and felt Chris wrap his large hand around Daryl's neck, but he was quick to react with an elbow to the prowlers face. Daryl lost his breath when Chris' knee rammed into his stomach and he took that moment to take Daryl down. Daryl's eyesight jarred briefly when he felt Chris' fist crash into his face, Daryl looking up to see Chris going for another round. Daryl grabbed his fist and released his own, his arm shooting off like a sling shot up into Chris' face. Daryl tossed him to the side and got to his knees, grabbing Chris' shirt collar and ramming his forehead into his. Daryl's head burned from the heavy impact, but he didn't care and he jumped onto Chris' chest. Taking his opportunity to dominate the situation, Daryl cocked his fist back behind him and released it like a bullet, watching Chris' cheek fluctuate from the impact of his hard knuckles. Daryl reached back against and repeated his brutality over and over, watching blood beginning to seep from Chris' lips. Finally, after Daryl deemed his point made, he latched onto Chris' collar and yanked him up off the ground a few inches.

"I'm Daryl Dixon, motherfucker!" Daryl hissed through his teeth, "And I'm not one to be fucked with when I'm in a bad mood!" Daryl grabbed his neck and squeezed hard, hearing Chris' breathing becoming labored under his tight constriction, "Now... if I see you anywhere near Harli again, and if you raise one more hand to her... I'll drag you out in a ditch way the fuck out in the country where no one will hear your screams!"

Without another reply from Chris, as his jaw must've been hurting from Daryl's repeated, hammering blows, Daryl slammed Chris back down on the ground and stood up, wiping his bloody knuckles on his pants.


	13. Chapter 13

Harli rubbed her hands together, grease staining her skin deeper and deeper under the influence of her skin squeezing together. A light sweat formed at the edge of her hairline and her bangs tickled her cheeks, causing her hand to swipe them behind her ear. She ignored the fact that her hands were covered with grease and dirt as her fingers ran through her bangs, but a quick shower after work wouldn't hurt her much. A light huff came from the _O_ that her lips formed and she tossed her wrench to the side, standing to her feet and feeling her kneecaps sore from kneeling for so long. Her hand hooked onto her cocked hip and she looked out through the open door of the shop, staring at the passersby, both human and vehicle, that strolled by the shop. Her eyes then focused on the alleyway directly across the street, seeing the emptiness it held for the first time in ages.

Harli hadn't seen Chris for almost four days straight. He did not stand on the other side of the shop and watch her while she worked, she didn't see his Mercedes-Benz passing by her house at odd hours of the day, and he didn't jump her when she was perceived vulnerable. Harli wondered if he had moved on or something had happened to him. Ever since the day she was dropped off at the shop by Daryl, after she woke up from passing out at his house, there was absolutely no sign of her prowler.

She wondered why.

Her mind then flickered to Daryl, hearing his raspy voice in her head over and over again. A halfcocked smile formed on her face as she heard his concerned voice and how oddly he tried to comfort her. But she didn't see Daryl in the past four days either and he didn't even call about fixing her Camaro. It wasn't too big of a deal, though, he may have been busy with other work. Her skin tingled when she remembered his warm hand grasping softly onto her arm before she exited his truck, _'Be careful... and let me know if ya'll need anything'_ It was foreign, the way he was acting. But she didn't care too much about it, she liked his concern and it showed an entirely new side of Daryl.

She wasn't too worried about her Camaro, though, as Clayton had stayed at her house the past couple days in order to ride her to work. After telling Russ about passing out at Daryl's house, Russ insisted that Clayton stay with her, even if Harli didn't want him to. It was her father's little way of saying that he cared for her wellbeing. He just made Clayton do it instead of him. That's how it always was, even when the two half-siblings were kids. But with the presence of Clayton in her household, Harli actually got a couple good nights of sleep. She felt so refreshed, so much healthier compared to the anguish she experienced for the past few weeks. But it did freak her out a bit when Harli woke up in the middle of one night to Clayton passed out on the couch, with the TV channel on HBO, while some softcore porn stared her in the face.

Harli then shuddered at the embarrassing memory.

A soft fabric bounced off Harli's head and she turned around as it fell to the ground, staring at the dirty shop rag. Her green eyes shifted up to the perpetrator who had thrown it against her, only to meet a pair of familiar blue eyes staring back at her. "Quit day dreamin'! We gotta get this damn bike off the rack and on the road before Hanson comes and picks it up!"

"Did you put the oil cap back on the engine this time? Tightly?" Harli sneered back at Clayton with an accusing eye and he shifted with a huff,

"Please, I take low shots but I'd like to think I'm smarter than that."

"That's right... you _think_." Harli walked past him back to the motorcycle, leaning down and checking the oil cap propped on the engine. After knowing it was tight enough not to pop off, she turned back to face him, "Good job. Now that you can put an oil cap back on the engine properly I can promote you!" She laughed at the face he made towards her. Harli liked to tease her little brother; it was what older siblings were born to do.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Clayton waved his hand and rolled his eyes, leaning down and picking up the shop rag he threw at her. Harli sighed and looked over at the motorcycle with a nod,

"Polish that bad boy up so I can take it out for a test ride. Sooner we get it outta here the sooner we can be done for the day."

"Can I take it for a ride?" Clayton asked with a grin, gripping his hand tightly on the handlebar. Harli snorted with a laugh,

"When dad gives you his truck with a happy smile and tells you he loves you... that will be the day I let you take my motorcycles out for test runs." Clayton frowned as she passed by and disappeared through the double doors. He looked down at the motorcycle with a sigh,

"Here I am rubbin' down motorcycles when I could be at the beach rubbin' some sweet ladies." Clayton shook his head and walked over to Harli's work bench, grabbing a fresh rag and the bottle of chrome polish off its dirty counter.

"I heard that." Harli burst back through the doors, making Clayton glance over his shoulder at her. Harli leaned on the wall and watched Clayton move to the bike to start polishing all the chrome he could see.

"Bet you like watchin' me work for you..." Clayton frowned as he got to work, "A god damn slave driver."

"No." Harli shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, "It's just nice that I don't have to do everything anymore." Harli watched his hands rub the rag down the handlebars, ridding them of dirt and grease. She quickly took into account of what he said about the girls at the beach, "I thought you were seeing Candy now?"

"I've only been on like... one date with her."

"Do you like her? She seems nice." Harli rubbed her hand down the scar forming on her forearm from the cut she sustained from Merle's precious Triumph, "Her and Red are pretty close. I hear nothing but good things about her."

"Yeah... I like her." Clayton's hand stopped on the handlebar briefly, "She's doesn't think I'm a complete goof."

"Oh god... she's a keeper." Harli joked and watched Clayton rub in the polish vigorously. Harli tilted her head curiously, "So what's stopping you?"

"I'm a Marine now."

"So?"

"That means, here soon, I'm gonna be takin' my leave." Clayton's voice held his own disappointment and she saw the tenseness in his back, "Won't be too much longer now; probably will ship me here out to Florida at the end of the summer for a few weeks. From there? I don't know what they'll do with me."

"That shouldn't matter..." Harli sympathized with him as she knew that was the only thing stopping him from getting serious with a woman.

"Yeah, well it does to me." Clayton scrubbed the chrome with irritation. He was more irritated with himself than Harli asking the question; his heart not being able to bear unhappy feelings towards his sister. All throughout their lives together, she did nothing but love and help Clayton even if he still was her illegitimate half-brother.

Clayton's hand stopped and he stood up with a sigh, turning half way to face Harli. His lips pursed and his contagious, pearly white smile came out from under them, "Anyways... I was gonna go to the bar tonight to see Candy, and I'm pretty sure dad's gonna go with all his boys. Did you want to come hang out for a little bit? Red's gonna be workin' tonight. I'm sure she'd like to see you since its been a few days."

"I might." Harli shrugged and her eyes trailed out through the garage doors as if looking for something or someone, "I don't want to stay there all night."

"You don't have to. You've just been cooped up here and at home for the past few days I thought you'd like to get out and about for a while." Clayton saw a bit of hesitation in her face and turned fully to face her, "I'll be with you, don't worry! And then afterwards we'll go back to your house and eat some of your _fantastic_ cooking."

"Eh..." Harli shrugged her shoulders again and Clayton raised an eyebrow with a smug smirk,

"I bet you'll go if Daryl goes." Harli felt her body heat up at the sound of his name and Clayton's smirk turned into a triumphant grin. He pressed past her, "I'll go call him now!"

"Clayton!" She squeaked and followed after her through the double doors into the office. Clayton immediately went to the phone and latched onto it, trying to dial a few numbers. Harli jumped on his back and put him in a headlock, "Don't you dare!" She yanked him away and the phone dropped with a loud _thud_ against the wall. Clayton stumbled back as Harli rammed him up against the wall, his face still holding his smile,

"I knew it!" He laughed and Harli frowned at him embarrassingly, stepping back away from him. Clayton pushed off the hard wall, "I knew you had a thing for him the moment you rubbed your boobs all over his chest!"

"Ah! Clayton! Shut up!" She knew her face was red at the sight as she heard him laugh even more, "It's nothing like that!"

"You can't fool me, sis. Honestly..." His smile faded to a small smirk and Harli pressed her hand against her cheek, "I mean... Daryl is an asshole but if _you_ out of all people like him then... maybe I've been lookin' at him the wrong way." Harli meekly looked to the floor and tucked her long, chocolate bangs behind her ear. Clayton leaned forward, waiting for her to say something, "Well?"

"I don't know..." Harli said quietly and looked up to her little brother, "I guess I kinda do..."

"Ha ha!" Clayton shouted and tossed his fists toward the ceiling. Harli's face flushed all kinds of shades of red and Clayton too notice, calming his excited demeanor, "Sorry, sis. It's just nice to see you take an interest in somethin' other than your work for once. Even if it is... Daryl Dixon." He pouted upon spitting out Daryl's name, thinking about the younger Dixon's notoriousness of spending nights with women every now and then.

Clayton continued to stare at Harli's uncomfortable, embarrassed state. Even if she acted like a hard ass around him, and just overall, being the older sister she was, he thought it was absolutely adorable to see her in her state. Clayton smiled and wrapped his thick arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards the double doors with his lovely Waldgrave smile, "Come on now... I won't tell no one. I ain't like that." He pushed through the doors and the Waldgrave siblings stopped, both their discolored eyes staring at the motorcycle, "Now... what do you say we get this thing up and out of the shop so we can get the hell out of here?"

**.:o:.**

Russ was hesitant to let them borrow the old 76' Chevy, but to Harli's surprise, Russ handed over the keys to Clayton voluntarily for the first time ever. Harli sat in the passenger's seat of her father's truck, Clayton smiling through the windshield from behind the wheel. The sun glared at them through the thick glass with its rays glistening across the lake's soft waves. Harli watched the mass of warm colors dominate the cool vibes of the water, knowing that there would be plenty of people skinny dipping in the lakes warm depths in the night ahead. Nighttime was upon the two siblings as the truck rolled down the street towards Marty's old pub, a few vehicles in front of them possible making it to the same destination. Harli and Clayton stopped by Harli's house to make it quickly in their shower time and throw on a new change of clothes.

Clayton combed through his dirty blonde, ear length hair for the special occasion to see Candy tonight. He wore a black wife beater accompanied by a red plaid flannel shirt with yellow stripes crossing each other every which way with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A pair of light blue jeans clasped against his legs and buckskin boots hugged his feet comfortably. He had trimmed his scratchy facial hair to a tamer amount of wiry scruff that carefully situated itself down his thick jawline.

As for Harli, she wore a tight jean skirt with a pair of black spankys underneath just in case the drunkards at the bar, on a Friday night, decided to try and take a peek at her backside with the help of their grimy hands. Harli shuddered at the thought, always thinking ahead for herself from the unruly backwoodsmen that inhabited the county. A light grey, strapless blouse covered her torso with her mother's old locket wrapped around her neck. Her trusty pair of dark brown cowboy boots sat lazily on her feet as they all rested on the dirty floorboard of the truck.

Her brown hair tickled her exposed collar line as she pulled it to one side, her green eyes shifting over to Clayton silently. She took in his features, remembering what he used to look like before he went to the Carolina's for basic training. He was so much different then. A bit shy around everyone, a little skinny boy who didn't know what he was going to do with his life. But now here Clayton was before her, a sharp looking young man who now knew what he wanted to do. Confident, clear, collected, and sometimes cocky, Clayton was almost a spitting image of their father, Mr. Russell Waldgrave. Clayton had his mother's hair and sharp wit and his father's southern blue eyes and fine, manly features. She was proud of her little brother's progress.

"Damn... this place is packed!" Clayton stared at the parking lot of the familiar bar, Harli's eyes turning to see the huge parking lot practically full. Clayton swung the steering wheel under his hand as the truck landed a pretty close parking spot before the person in had a chance to steal it. He yanked the parking break and turned the thunderous engine to his daddy's truck off, tucking the keys in his back pocket. His blue eyes then looked to Harli and he let out a deep breath, "You ready?"

"Yes, sir." Harli nodded and reached down while grabbing the strap of her purse and shoving open the truck's door. While locking it, she pushed it shut and tossed the purses strap over her shoulder, meeting Clayton at the tailgate of the lifted Chevy.

The two Waldgrave's walked in from the quietness of the doors outside the bars to the uproar of overcrowded people shouting over one another. Marty's bar was the biggest in town and it had more luxuries that most other bars had. There were pool tables, arcade games, live music every day of the weekend, karaoke, and on occasion exotic dancers. They stepped in and Clayton helped Harli make a path through the crowds of people and tables, the two making a beeline to the bar. Harli spotted Red briefly behind the bar, seeing her hands and eyes working fast with the alcohol orders flying into her pierced ears. The dimples in her cheeks charmed everyone around her as she smiled; Harli knew Red loved her job. She oddly loved people and she always loved alcohol.

Finally, Clayton found two empty seats at the bar and he made sure Harli took her seat before him. Once Harli situated herself on the barstool, Clayton took his seat next to her and smiled while nodding at a man next to him. "Oh! My darlin' baby cousins!" Both Harli and Clayton turned at the sound of Red's chiming voice and they met her gleaming smile, "How ya'll doin' tonight!?"

"Pretty good, Meredith. Busy night?" Clayton smiled and watched Red lean on the bar towards them. With a nod, she took a look out of the sea of people dancing and having a good time,

"Fourth of July's almost here! Everyone's families are floodin' in for a vacation!" She smiled and looked back to her two family members, taking more of an interest in Harli, "My little cousin... look at you! You finally don't look like you've been tweakin' for months on end! You're lookin' good!"

"Thanks." Harli smiled softly at Red, knowing full well that she felt as good as she looked. Red nodded back at her and eyed Clayton,

"So... what'll you two have?"

"Just some Crown on the rocks for now." Clayton said with a smile, "And a little bit of Candy, too." His blue eyes trailed over to Candy, who he knew was listening in on them. her blue-green eyes immediately looked back to the drink she was pouring, a light blush crossing her cheeks.

"Aye, boy!" Red slammed her hand down on bar, causing Clayton to look back at her with his charming smile. Red frowned and her bright blue eys glared back at him, "You better be treatin' my little Candy girl right! She's like my little sister and so help me, God as my witness, you fuck with her the wrong way I'll kick your nuts up into your throat!"

"Hey, hey now Red!" Harli intervened and Red's accusing eyes looked over at her, "Clayton's been doing good by her, I've made sure of it!" Harli defended and Red narrowed her eyes, looking back at Clayton with icy daggers. Unfazed by Red's glare, Clayton laughed under his breath,

"How 'bout that drink!?"

"I'll have a Mimosa!" Harli said with a smile and Red looked to Harli with a bit of surprise,

"You're drinkin' too? Is the blue moon out tonight?"

"No! I just feel good is all!" Harli leaned over the bar and the deep dimples in Red's cheeks formed charmingly as she smiled,

"Good then! Them two drinks are comin' right up!" Red whirled around, her deep black hair twirling in the ponytail hooked on the back of her head. Her fingers twisted glasses and her hands expertly pirouetted bottles of liquor as she threw together their alcoholic drinks. The already lit crowd around her on the long bar cheered her proficient skills, a few men tossing her some money her way. Red bundled up the money and tossed it into the cave of her cleavage. Her hands snatched up the glasses of liquor and she turned back towards her cousins, noting the eye contact that Clayton and Candy were giving each other. Red couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes at the young love, remembering the way her and Hayden had courted a couple years prior to her position.

"Here ya'll two are!" She slapped the drinks down in front of them and Harli seemed surprised that the alcohol didn't jump out of the glass upon Red's force. Clayton was quick to act and was the first to grab his drink, bringing the glass to his lips and tipping a large swig back. His tongue slid up against the roof of his mouth, feeling the Canadian whiskey sliding down his throat warmly. Harli pulled her cocktail towards her and sipped on the fruity drink, tasting the orange juice over the champagne. It was exactly the way she liked it.

"Hey Red, when does Candy take her break?" Clayton asked and Red looked to him, her eyes in deep thought. She cocked a hip and sigh, twiddling her lips,

"Bout forty five minutes, I'm pretty sure." She said before raising an eyebrow, "Why, might I ask?" Clayton smiled and hovered his drink by his mouth lazily with his fingers,

"I'd like to dance with her pretty little self."

**.:o:.**

The loud guitar riffs of the local honky-tonk band echoed throughout the entire bar as they played happily on stage. The singer, clad in all his cowboy gear, jaunted around the stage happily and even invited a few young, pretty things on stage to dance with him. The band enticed the drunkards in the bar, sometimes the sober, to get on the dance floor and start flaunting themselves around each other. Harli laughed as she watched a few people fall on top of each other, their proud smiles aimed up at everyone that tried to help them. Harli's fingers tapped along with the beats of the drums on her bare legs, noticing a few men eyeing her from across the bar. But she learned to ignore them and watched Clayton and Candy on the dance floor, Clayton prancing along with his young bell and twirling her in his arms.

Candy's dirty blonde hair swirled around as she spun, Clayton catching her as the two continued to dance. Harli wondered where the hell her brother learned how to dance the way he was. She even thought that Clayton could have just been feeding of the audience and the other dancers, but he was just too good. Harli couldn't help but continue to smile though; at least her brother was having a good time with a girl he liked instead of moving from girl to girl like he usually did.

"My, my... I've never seen Baby Clayton take such a likin' to a girl before." Harli looked over her shoulder at Red, who was wiping down the bar behind Harli. Red smiled, "Good choice, right there. Candy may be pretty, but she ain't no skank like all the other girls around here."

"She is very nice." Harli turned back to watch the young couple continue to dance, "Clayton seems happy. He talks about her all the time."

"I've got to admit it..." Red shrugged her shoulder and tossed a look to Clayton and Candy, "The boy's turnin' into a proper southern gentleman. He hasn't made one move to touch her inappropriately! I'm so proud!" Harli nodded along with Red's choice of words and her mouth gaped open as she let out a long sigh. Huffing, her eyes watered with tiredness and she rubbed her eye with the ball of her hand. She wheeled around on the barstool to face Red, who snapped her wet rag of all the debris.

"I think I'm gonna go home... I'm getting pretty tired."

"You just gonna leave your brother here? I assume he has the keys to your daddy's truck."

"He does." Harli nodded and stood to her feet, stretching her legs with a grunt at the amazing feeling of her tight muscles extending. With a deep sigh, her green eyes stared into Red, "I'll just hail a cab. My house isn't too far away... Clayton's having a good time. I don't want to ruin it for him because I want to leave."

"Well here then..." Red reached into her shirt and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. She crunched it into Harli's hand, "I'll pay for your trip home." Red put her finger up and stopped Harli from speaking as Red saw her mouth open in protest, "Don't argue! Just take it and get home safe."

"Fine... fine." Harli tucked the money into the pocket of her skirt and smiled at Red, "Thanks for the drinks. I had a good time tonight."

"No problem, babe. Just take care of yourself and call me if ya'll need anything!" Red called as Harli turned around to leave the crowded bar.

Harli waved back at Red without turning back around, her bag thumping against the back of her thigh as she walked. She took a deep breath of the fresh air around her as she stepped out the door, her ears ringing from the continuously loud sounds that circulated through her eardrums. The cool air of the late night rubbed her skin softly, trying to rid of the uncomfortable warmth that made her break out in a light sweat. Harli moved and stepped off the sidewalk, her boot thumping against the concrete as she made way towards a cab already strategically placed outside the bar. She though it was smart for the cab to sit outside the bar; drunk people were always willing to give out their money.

"Need a ride, honey?" The taxi driver pulled the stogie out of his mouth and blew the heavy, succulent smelling smoke from his lips. Harli nodded and smiled,

"Yes please."

Harli watched the scenery though the darkness fly by, the bright moon bearing down on the lands below. The cabbie instinctively followed Harli's directed address as he turned his car down all kinds of different streets left and right. Even through the darkness, Harli's eyes picked up a few familiar landmarks around the area she lived, knowing that in no time she would be arriving at her humble abode. A few words were exchanged between Harli and the old cabbie, but other than the small conversations, the two stayed quiet in the silence.

Finally, the cabbie slowed once he saw the numbers of Harli's street address glow on her mailbox in the headlights of his car. Harli leaned forward and gathered her purse up in her lap, the cabbie shifting in his seat to turn and face her, "That'll be fifty dollars and thirty two cents."

"Here you go." Harli slapped the twenty dollar bill down in his hand and smiled, "Thanks for the ride. You can keep the change."

"Thanks kindly, Miss. Have a wonderful night!"

"You too." Harli popped open the door and shut it behind her, staring at the darkness of her house.

She casually strolled up the driveway and across the grass, finally meeting the trio of steps leading to her porch. Her hands quickly found her house keys in her purse and she whipped them out, fumbling about to find the right one. With an annoyed sigh, her fingers shoved a key into the keyhole and she already figured it was the wrong one. Her ears pick up a loud creak and her muscles halted in every single inch of her body as she watched her front door open a couple inches from the keys small force.

For one, it wasn't even shut all the way.

Two, she watched Clayton lock it after he stepped out of it to leave.

Harli's heart pounded against her chest like a nail and hammer and her shaky hand slipped into her bag. Her fingers wrapped around the cold steel of Red's pistol and she pulled it out, holding it out in front of her with one hand while her other pressed the door open. It was too dark to see in her house and her eyes strained through the darkness as she moved quietly and slowly. Her pistol hand shook and her hand slid up the wall as she desperately tried to search for a light source to aid her visual quest. Finally, her fingers flicked on the light overhead and her eyes struggled to adjust quickly. But she didn't see anything out of the ordinary; not even a sign of a break in. Harli knew better than to trust her mind as it tried to comfort her instincts.

A low gurgle came from the corner of the room and as she turned, her eyes widened as they struck unimaginable fear. Her mouth gaped open and her legs moved out from under her as she ran towards the corner of the room, "Gumbo!?" His giant black cage had been thrown over, all Gumbo's belongings in his cage unhooked and tossed to the floor. Gumbo himself was huddled in the farthest corner of his cage, his wing lowered and dragging on the ground. A few coos came from his beak, and by the sound of them, Harli knew he was in pain.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up as an ominous presence rolled over her, Harli knowing that she wasn't the only one in the house. She got her feet quickly and turned with her pistol raised, her eyes only grasping onto the vision of a large boot heading her way. The heaviness of the leg behind it shoved her backwards and she landed on Gumbo's cage, feeling the corner of it strike the put of her back between her shoulders. She gasped out and saw black rings pulsating in her vision, feeling a hand grab her bare leg and yank her off the cage. Her hand desperately searched for the gun that had popped out of her hand, but it was soon brought to a dead stop when a rough hand wrapped around it. Harli's eyes darted up and saw her perpetrators face for a split second before her eyes blacked out. Over and over, she felt a hard set of knuckles blast into her cheek, jarring all her senses in one fell swoop.

Harli flinched when she didn't feel another fist and her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend her surroundings. "Fuckin' bitch!" She heard the words hiss through clenched teeth and before she knew it, the sharp tip of a boot crashed against her stomach. Her belly lurched and she felt the alcohol wadding up in her throat as it threatened to expunge along with the other contents of her belly. A pair of hands ripped her to her feet and she felt her body lift off the ground, her fingernails digging into the wrists that carried her above the ground.

Harli stared into Chris' brown eyes as they faded once he shoved her down, Harli hearing the sharp sound of splitting wood.

She coughed out and tried to gasp in new air, feeling splintering pain jabbing itself all through her spine. Chris had slammed her down into her hardwood table, and under Harli's dead weight, it completely shattered. Chris stood over her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back up towards him as she struggled to get to her feet. Her back met with the wall as hard as he could throw her and he pressed himself up against her, wrapping his fingers tightly around her neck. He gritted his teeth and a tremor of pleasure rolled through his upon hearing her choke for air, his arms flailing against him weakly from the riddling pain in her body. As Harli's green eyes open, they widened upon his sight and her lips quivered as fear began to control her mind.

"You like what your asshole, redneck fuck friend did to me, huh?" He whispered to her and Harli took in his features, seeing a substantial amount of damage caused to his face. Bruises plagued his scruffy face and the continual swollenness they caused made his demeanor even words. He was even scarier than he was before as Harli saw the broken blood vessel in one of his eyes causing his eye to become bloody red. Chris' face leaned in closer to Harli's, "Yeah... did you send him after me? Huh? That fuck is gonna wish he's dead when I'm through with him. Because after I kill you... he's gonna be next on my list."

Harli's heartbeat skyrocketed upon his words and she thrashed her legs and arms as hard as she could, beating them against his body. They didn't have an effect on him as he reached his hand back and slapped Harli as hard as he could across her face, satisfied when her body thumped onto the floor. Chris grabbed a handful of her hair, relishing under her screams of protest as he pulled her head up. Blood dripped from her nose and the broken spots on her lips, "You look so pretty when you bleed..."

With one more, hard cocked fist, Harli was knocked out cold and Chris tossed her head back to the floor, hearing it thump upon impact. He cracked his neck and leaned down, rubbing his hands across her soft legs until he came to her boots. His large hands wrapped around her ankles and he lifted her legs up, turning his back towards the hallway and pulling her body into the depths of the darkness with a low stride. Her arms slid across the hardwood floor over her head and her lightly sweaty back squealed as it slid across the floor once her strapless shirt rolled up her skin.

**.:o:.**

Daryl hovered over the dirty engine of Harli's Camaro, a hood light accompanying him in the darkness of the shop. Merle had continued to fail to change the overhead lights of the shop, therefore, they were useless. The sunlight of day had long left him as he glanced up at the clock briefly, gauging the hands of the time teller to be between ten and ten thirty. His eyes expertly glazed over the engine, making sure there was nothing else wrong with the vehicle before he gave it back to Harli. He had already replaced the brake cable and took it out for a test run, pleased with how well it worked. Daryl checked the oil, all the gauges of the car, and whatever other fluids that needed to be checked. It was in tip top shape the way he had left it the last time he fixed it after replacing the starter.

Daryl unhooked the hood light and hung it on the wall of the shop, returning to the open hood. He snapped the hood hook back into its designated place and let the hood fall on its own, the force snapping it completely shut. Daryl let out an exasperated sigh while rubbing his forearm across his tired eyes. He wiped his greasy, dirty hands on his work pants, moving towards the cluttered office of the shop and pulling the door open. He was tired. It had been a long day for him and he had to put his other clients in front of the Camaro. But for the past four days, he worked long after his regular hours to try and fix the snapped brake cable of Harli's rusty vehicle. It was more difficult than he thought, but eventually, it worked in his favor and didn't give him too much trouble.

He stopped in the darkness of the office and looked down as Harli crossed his mind. He hadn't heard from her since she passed out in his driveway and he hoped something didn't happen to her. But if something did happen he would've either hear it from Merle, Clayton, or Russell himself. His hand instinctively ran over the knuckles of his other, feeling the soreness of his bones from the force of being blown into another person's face repeatedly. It was something he was used to, though, in the often times he had to help Merle in a few bar fights because his big brother just couldn't keep his stupid mouth shut. The flash of the distinctive memory of Harli's stalker's broken face ran behind his eyes, remembering the unique parts of the man's particular face he had destroyed. Daryl didn't tell anyone about it and he didn't want to make a big stink out of Harli's situation. She had kept it secret from everyone for a reason and obviously didn't want anyone to know about it. But Daryl couldn't stand idly by as Harli showed up with more bruises on her face. She damn well didn't deserve what that asshole was doing to her. She was nothing but a kind woman in his eyes.

Daryl then growled to himself, remembering that he didn't catch Harli's cell phone number before he dropped her off.

Calling Russ' house was out of the question. He was out with Merle god only knows where doing whatever drugs and drinking whatever alcohol was thrown their way. They were regular trouble makers, those boys were. Daryl didn't know Clayton's number, either, and the only person he was left with was to call Red's cell phone. He then grabbed the phone off the ringer and narrowed his eyes, deciphering the numbers through the darkness. As he pressed the phone to his ears, he hoped that he hadn't misdialed the number and that he wouldn't have to deal with the awkward situation of a rather confused bystander on the other end of the line.

"_Hello?"_ Daryl was relieved when he heard Red's voice on the other line. Straightening himself out as if he were talking to her in person, Daryl took a breath,

"Red..." His raspy voice echoed on the other end of the line, "It's Daryl."

"_Oh, Daryl! Hello sweetheart!"_ Daryl rolled his eyes at Red's charming voice, hearing a commotion in the background on the other end of the line. She must have been working, "_What do you need callin' me so late?"_

"Was wonderin' if you got Harli's number. I fixed her car up and need to tell her it's ready." Daryl explained and turned to look out the window into the darkness of the forest. He heard a bit of disappointment in her voice,

"_Yeah... I have her number. But she ain't answerin' the phone anyways."_

"You know why?"

"_No... she was here earlier and left in a cab because she didn't want to ruin Clayton's fun time. I called her on her home and cell phone to try and get a hold of her because Clayton wanted me to tell her he wasn't gonna be home 'til later. But she's not answerin' neither."_ Red voice wavered and Daryl narrowed his eyes at her tone, _"She left a while ago and even if she's sleepin' she always answers the phone when I call."_

"You think somethin' happened to her?" Daryl's instincts kicked in and the pit of his stomach began to chew at him to move.

"_I don't know..."_ He could picture Red shaking her head at the question, _"But could you do me a huge favor? Could you run by her house and see if she's alright? I don't like that she's not answerin' her phone."_

"Yeah... sure." Daryl nodded his head, not even deliberating the question she asked. He could hear a relieved sigh over the crowded bar in the background,

"_Thanks... just call me back when you can, alright?"_

"I will." Daryl ended the phone call with just that and slammed it down on the office desk, immediately shoving the door open and trudging towards his truck. He didn't bother to close up the shop, he didn't shut off the light, and he didn't tend to Ruckus in the house.

All that was on his mind was Harli.

**.:o:.**

The sound of running water rushed into Harli's ears, the only sense that managed to grasp back onto her consciousness. She could feel her eyes open and looking around, but all she saw was black. The clouded black entity in her eyes lurked about, but slowly, light began to prick at the darkness in her vision. Slowly but surely, her eyes blurred and the dark rings pulsating in her vision disappeared. A dense heat surrounded her body and her head tilted sideways, the coolness of the tiled floor bringing her comfort. As her jaw clenched shut, her mouth returned open as the biting pain of her damaged jaw muscles pulsed. Her tongue slid across the pallet of her mouth and the bitter, familiar taste of fresh blood leaked onto her taste buds. To her avail, her jarred eyes managed to focus enough for her to realize she was lying on her bathroom floor.

Her fingers twitched and she could feel the softness of her bathroom rugs under them, her head leaning up. Her green eyes widened at the sight of Chris standing at the edge of her bathtub, back to her, watching the water fill up and spill from the large faucet. She did her best to steady her frantic breathing, trying to keep it as quiet as possible. As her legs moved silently, she pushed her body across the ground and upon hearing no response from her skin squeaking across the tiles, Harli then tilted her body. Now on her stomach, her arms ached as she pulled herself amongst the floor, a dry gasp escaping her lips quietly and her eyes clenching shut. Her face and chest pulsed with angry pain, causing her entire body to shake under all the pressure. But she had to ignore it completely, now wasn't the time to stop and dwell in the pain she was in.

Her shaky hand hooked onto the frame of the door and she used that as her advantage to pull herself out of the bathroom. Her mind settled briefly as she knew she was almost out, but as she heard a shift behind her, she stopped and swallowed hard. The door swung violently towards her and she moved her head out of the way, confused when she felt an intense pain take over her entire arm. Chris slammed the door as hard as he possibly could, crushing Harli's wrist in between both the door and its frame. Her mouth gaped with a loud scream and she yanked her hand back, cradling it in her other from the unbearable pain. Chris landed a swift kick to her ribs and Harli curled up, her stomach feeling queasy once again as she heaved. Tears welled up in her eyes and she stared up at him through her blurry vision, knowing full well he loved every minute of what he was doing.

"P-please..." She gasped and blinked slowly, feeling her warm tears rolling down the bruises and swelling of her face, "Please stop!"

"It's too late for you, dear." Chris reached down and grabbed her arm tightly, Harli cringing under his touch, "Far too late." Chris yanked her throbbing, damaged arm and she cried out in protest as he dragged her towards the tub.

She pulled and used whatever adrenaline strength she could to get away from him, but his free hand turned and latched onto a handful of her hair, tugging her with one last yank. She screamed as her chest slammed up against the tub, letting out a couple strained coughs. Her eyes stared back at her petrified reflection in the water, feeling the intense heat of the water wafting up at her. She then felt Chris' hand press down on the back of her head, her neck keeping her face steady as the tip of her nose touched the water. Chris was going to drown her.

Chris punched her back as hard as he could and Harli's arms relieved her muscles briefly, but in that time, Chris rammed his hand down on her head. The hot water crashed against her face and her fingers clawed frantically at the edge of the tub, trying to get her head out of the water. Chris pressed all his weight down on her shoulder with the help of his knee, watching as the bubbles of oxygen from her mouth exploded once they hit the surface. He could hear her muffled screams under the water. Harli couldn't breathe and she grew panicked as she sucked in water instead of air. Her eyes hurt as the water slammed up against them vigorously and her hair slowly whipped back and forth in the water. Her fingers hurt as they slammed up against the wall and the side of the tub in attempts to somehow pry her from the depths of the water. She didn't care that her wrist might have been broken; she had to get out before she drowned.

Suddenly, Harli's head was ripped up from the water and she stared at her ceiling once more. Instead of sucking air into her lungs, all she could do was cough up mouthfuls of water. But before she knew it, Chris slammed her face back into the water, holding her under once again. For a few seconds she let her suffocate under the airless before yanking her head back up, her strained breathing becoming music to his ears. Water dripped from her soaked hair all the way down her body, the tickles of the small driblets managing to pierce through the anguish she was experiencing. Harli grabbed onto Chris' wrist in order to pry his hand off her head, but he pressed himself up against her and pushed her back down towards the top. Harli screamed once again under the water's edge, this time, her throat filling up with water as she couldn't help but suck it all in. Her chest burned and her lungs pulsed to taste the fresh air above the water, Harli beginning to lose all hope. Somehow, she managed to think of an offense under all her panic.

Harli's hand searched for what she was looking for, and with a sharp fist, she rammed her hand between Chris' legs. She felt his weight falter and she jumped out of the water, flicking her hair up over her head as it snapped against her back. All she could do was pant as she took in air, but it was short lived when a hand grasped onto her ankle. Harli tore her gaze down to Chris as he was recovering quickly, but Harli gritted her teeth and slammed her foot down on his face. He let out a cry and his hand left her ankle, Harli diving over his body and out of the bathroom. Her shoulder slammed up against the wall as she stumbled out of the wash room, her lungs taking their sweet time in retrieving their precious air. Harli saw a flicker and her eyes widened when she saw Red's gun lying by Gumbo's cage.

Her shaky hands immediately hit the floor as they slid and squeaked as she crawled towards it as quick as possible. She could feel her wrist becoming swollen fast from being crushed by the bathroom door and she limped on her appendage. The adrenaline that rushed through her body managed to dull whatever pain she was in, her feet scrambling from under her. Finally, her hand reached out and they wrapped triumphantly around the pistol's black grip. She heard hasty footsteps and a loud slam behind her, Harli looking over her shoulder to see the persistent Chris hot on her tail.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she wheeled around on her backside and pointed the shaky gun at him. Chris dove at her, his arm stretched out, and the piercing blast of the pistols hammer slamming against the bullet rang through her ears once she pulled the trigger. Chris' face twisted in pain and he fell to his knees on top of Harli, Harli slamming backwards on the floor and the gun sliding out of her hand. Harli's green eyes looked up to see Chris' forehead ramming down against hers, her head cocking back and crashing against the floor. She couldn't believe it. She shot him and he was _still_ attacking her.

Ignoring the singing pain in his abdomen, Chris stumbled to his feet and grabbed Harli by the arm. He lifted her deadweight up, making sure he caused her pain by lifting her by her injured wrist. As she screamed from the surge of anguish, Harli swiftly kicked her leg and jabbed her knee into his stomach. Harli took that moment to squeeze of out his grasp and run towards the kitchen, her mind thinking of the large knife sitting in its wooden case on the counter. Her eyes immediately fell on the knife and she reached towards it, sliding it from its case and gripping it tightly into her hand. She slashed the knife into the air upon seeing Chris running towards her, but his heavy weight slammed her against the slider glass door. Both pains cracked under the impact of her body and Harli's gasped, feeling numbness overtaking her abdomen.

As she looked down, her eyes softened at the sight of her own knife's handle protruding from her stomach, the blade plunged into her skin. Her mouth continued to hang open and she looked up to Chris, seeing a proudly wicked smile hung up on his cheeks. From smaller waves to large, the hot burning sensation of the knife's damage completely throbbed through every single centimeter of her body. Harli's legs bucked out from under her as she slid down the broken slider glass door, her eyes staring out through the front door that continued to remain wide open. A dark figure darted about outside, Harli's vision blurring as she felt her head cock to the side and rest on her shoulder. Her vision faded to complete blackness.

Chris watched her eyes closed, staring at her bloody and beautifully damaged face. He ignored every little prick of pain that ate away at the bullet hole in his stomach, wanting to take in every little detail of his work. She was like his own little canvas that he painted in the lovely red paint of her own blood. The blood of her stab wound managed to leak from behind the blade, her grey shirt soaking with it within seconds. A battle cry suddenly sounded behind him and he didn't have time to react as a blunt force struck down on him. Chris stumbled forward and slammed up against the counter, quickly turning to see the familiar redneck that had destroyed his face with a relentless fist.

Daryl reached out for Chris once again, but the prowler had reacted fast and slammed his shoulder into Daryl's stomach like a linebacker. Daryl felt the wall hit his back and his fingers struggled to latch onto Chris. But finally, his hand grabbed Chris' collar and he yanked at his shirt, Daryl ramming his fist into Chris' face. Chris buckled backwards over Harli's couch and landed in the shambles of the wooden table he had slammed Harli down onto a couple hours prior. Daryl quickly jumped over the couch and landed next to Chris, but soon Chris' heavy boot smashed against his chest and knocked him back. Daryl was quick to recover as Chris was getting to his feet, noting the blood stain in his stomach. Daryl's legs reacted and sent all of his weight barreling forward. Daryl had one chance and one chance only to take him out. He couldn't afford any more time to waste.

Daryl took Chris to the ground, knowing that Chris was slowly succumbing to whatever injuries he had sustained. Daryl's vision throbbed with red violence, a blur of fists slamming into Chris' face without mercy. Every single ounce of his strength was focused into his right fist, feeling his knuckles meeting with the prowlers cheekbones over and over. Bones crunched under the pressure, he could hear and feel them, and as Daryl consciousness regained itself, his hand stopped. Daryl stared down at Chris' face, seeing the mash of blood and skin plaguing the man's features. Daryl's hand shook with a thumping nuisance and Daryl got to his feet, wobbling before readjusting himself.

He was hesitant to move around the corner once he knew what he was in for, but he had to do it. Slowly, he stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the only bulb that was on. Blood was everywhere. Harli's house was a mess. There she sat, the handle of a knife sticking out of the left side of her stomach. Daryl approaching with caution, all his senses fading about him as his eyes only stared. She was bloody, her face was covered in plaguing bruises, and he couldn't tell if she were dead or alive. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on. All he could do was stare at her in utter shock and outrage.

"_Don't move!"_ He heard a voice ring through his ears, but didn't turn to see who it was.

"_Get on the ground, now!"_ He heard another voice shout and slowly, he looked over his shoulder. A parade of black guns stared back at him and the bright flashes of red and blue lights flickered through the veiled windows. The cops were there. Someone must have called them in all the ruckus that had taken place in Harli's household.

"Put your hands up and get the _fuck_ on the ground now, Dixon!" At the sound of his last name, Daryl raised his hands into the air and a couple cops approached him with caution. Finally, they both grabbed his arms and slammed him chest-first to the ground, a sharp kneecap ramming itself between his shoulders. The cold steel of handcuffs wrapped themselves tightly and uncomfortably onto his wrists, the cops purposely making them tight.

"Get the fuck on your feet!" Daryl felt the two male cops yank him to his feet and shove him forward, Daryl almost going face first into the floor. He managed to regain his footing and thrashed in the cops grasp,

"Let me go! I didn't do a fuckin' thing!" Daryl shouted and felt another hand shove him forward once again, Daryl now standing on Harli's front porch. The two cops pushed him quickly down the stairs and towards their car, Daryl's eyes narrowing at the sight of so many police vehicles. Before he knew it, his face was slammed down on the cars steel, a grunt coming from his lips as a hand pressed down on his head.

"You cops are a fuckin' joke!" Daryl shouted, feeling one of the cops trying to find weapons or drugs on Daryl. The cop snarled,

"You shut your god damn mouth, Dixon!" He shouted back and grabbed Daryl's neck, lifting him up and slamming him back down on the car, "You have no fuckin' room to talk!"

"What'd you do to that girl!?"

"I didn't do a fuckin' thing!" Daryl bit back, his face throbbing, "It was that asshole stalkers fault! If you inconsiderate fucks would've done your job she wouldn't be in there with a god damn knife stuck in her stomach!"

"I'm sick of hearin' your smart mouth!" The cop yanked Daryl up and slammed his fist into Daryl's jaw, knocking the cuffed Dixon to the ground, "I'm sick and tired of you Dixon boys causin' trouble in my town! I'll see to it you don't see the light of day ever again!"

"That shit's not necessary, boys!" A foreign, southern licked voice called and the cops looked up, their eyes narrowing. A man clad in a dark trench walked forward, eyeing Daryl on the ground, "You gotta problem with this young man?"

"That's Daryl Dixon! He causes nothin' but trouble!"

"Ain't causin' trouble when he just saved a young girls life." The man leaned down and helped Daryl to his feet, Daryl looking back at him. He took in the man's features seeing a pair of dark eyes staring back at him. The man's head was shaved and a small scar on his scalp hung over his left side and he had a bit of a contorted nose as if it had been broken at some point in his life. The man's eyes broke from Daryl's red face and looked back at the cops, "My partner ain't gonna take too kindly to you beatin' up our victim's savior."

"And who the fuck are you anyways?" One of the cops asked and the man sighed, yanking out a small black flip book. Daryl narrowed his eyes at the gold badge that stared back at the cops,

"Detective Shane Walsh with the Atlanta Special Victims Unit."

"Atlanta? What the fuck you doin' all the way over here?" Another cop asked and Detective Walsh placed his badge back in his pocket. He grabbed Daryl's arm softly,

"First, you're gonna uncuff this man right here before I answer any of ya'll's questions. And if I see you raise one more hand to him we're gonna have a serious problem." The cop sneered at Detective Walsh and walked towards Daryl, twirling him around and stopping him abruptly. Daryl sighed in a bit of relief once the cuffs were pulled off, his hands instantly beginning to rub his wrists.

"Everything taken care of, Shane?" A new voice entered the scene and both Shane and Daryl turned to see another man in black approaching the scene. A light scruff characterized his face and his deep black hair was slicked back over his head. His equally blue eyes stared at Daryl briefly before returning to Shane for an answer.

"Yes sir." Shane looked back at the cops, "These assholes are just causin' problems 'cause they can't do their jobs right!"

"You better shut that mouth of yours before we _do _have a problem!" The cop yelled back and Shane turned around, but his friend stopped him and stepped forward to mediate. He pulled out his badge and flashed it,

"My name's Rick Grimes... I take it you already met my partner Shane." Rick placed his badge back into his pocket, "If you two would be so kindly as to leave us be and let us do our _jobs_." The cops hatefully glared back at the two out of town detectives and turned to leave the situation. Daryl looked over as the two detectives turned to him, their eyes set,

"You alright, sir?" Detective Grimes asked and Daryl nodded. Rick outstretched his hand, "Rick Grimes."

"Daryl Dixon." Daryl took his hand in his and the two shook hands firmly.

"Shane Walsh, pleasure." Daryl then took Shane's hand and repeated his handshake. Rick placed his hands in the pockets of his jacket,

"Oh shit Rick, they're bringin' her out!" Shane marched over towards the paramedics as they wheeled Harli's body out on a gurney. Shane turned around and walked backwards, "I'll ride with her and call ya when I get more information!"

"Mr. Dixon." Daryl's eyes were soon torn away from Harli's ragged body being carefully placed in the back of the ambulance. Rick stared back at Daryl with a sympathetic nature, "It won't do you no good stayin' here. Would you mind comin' with me? I have a few questions to ask you."


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Well, I brought my laptop with me just in case I had some free time to do some writing while on vacation, but then the creative juices started flowing and out of nowhere, a chapter appeared! So anyways, here's the next installment of **_**Dirt and Roses**_**! **

**And check out the new poll on my profile! It has a few suggestions of what fanfics you think I should write next! I need your guys' votes to help me out!**

It was dark outside, by what Daryl's eyes could see. The room he was in was dim with just a small shaded lamp lit in the corner of the chamber. Some planters strayed around the room, accompanied by filing cabinets and another cluttered table set up against one of the walls. A few headlights from a car would pass by every now and then, but other than the familiar sound of tires crawling across the asphalt, Daryl was mostly alone. A bottled beer sat next to his hands folded on the table in front of him, his body oddly comforted by the padded chair he sat in. His leg bounced nervously under the table he sat at and his teeth gnawed away at the inside of his cheek, the wet skin in his mouth becoming raw and sore. His eyes managed to move from the window covered by the smoke-stained blinds and they stared down at the black table in front of him.

His fingers ran over the lacerated, bloody knuckles of his right hand. As they grazed over the broken skin, his other fingers twitched from the annoying pain surging under his skin upon the touch. He ignored it as his eyes only saw Chris' face being relentlessly beaten into by his own, ruthless hand. Flashes of that adrenalized moment made his heart beat faster in his chest, his blue eyes closing when he remembered Harli's unconscious face as he turned the corner.

The room was so quiet it began to annoy Daryl. He sat at the police station after being taken from the scene by the Atlanta detectives that came out of nowhere. After being placed in the room, it had been a long time since Daryl had seen either of the detectives or any other police force for that matter. Detective Grimes had lightly interrogated him about the situation that unfolded, but other than watching Chris stab Harli, he knew nothing. Daryl huffed and leaned back in the chair, rubbing a hand through his grimy hair and sliding it down his face jadedly. The cold air of the room finally made Daryl's skin tingle under its clammy influence and his eyes flickered over to the window once again.

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long..." The familiar voice of none other than Detective Grimes wallowed into the room, Daryl's eyes tearing away from the window to look at him, "I had to straighten a few things out with those local cops of yours. I wasn't very happy with the way they were treatin' you."

"Ain't no problem." Daryl mumbled under his breath and looked down at the table, his fingers running across his knuckles once again. Rick sat down across from Daryl, staring at the untouched beer from across the table,

"You haven't touched your beer."

"Not that thirsty." Daryl shook his head and continued to keep his eyes on his hands in front of him, "Am I gettin' arrested?"

"Of course not. You were acting in self-defense against Christopher." Rick studied the fresh bruises forming on the right side of Daryl's face. He let out a sigh, "I'm sorry for all that's happened. I wish me and my partner could've gotten here sooner." Daryl looked up at Rick, seeing the soft sincerity in his eyes. Daryl straightened himself out under his own curiosity,

"How do you know Harli?"

"Me and my partner, Shane Walsh, were sheriffs of King county. But we wanted to be more than sheriff's so we were both transferred to Atlanta and became part of the Atlanta Special Victims Unit. Harli was our first case there a couple years back..." Rick nodded to himself and leaned back in the chair, resting his elbow on the arm of it, "We investigated her stalking case for quite some time. After we put Christopher away on the first set of assault charges because of Harli, he went away to jail for a couple years."

"Obviously not long enough." Daryl huffed angrily and Rick's jaw tightened, his eyes dropping,

"Our justice system can only do so much." Rick looked back into Daryl's accusing stare, "I wish I could've put him away myself."

"Where is that asshole anyways?" Daryl leaned forward and stared hard at Rick with a challenge, "I wouldn't mind takin' another round with his face."

"I don't blame you." A tug at the corner of Rick's lips drew into a small smile, "I'm glad you made it there before he had a chance to kill her off. It would've been a dark day in my career." Rick noticed Daryl had continued to rub his knuckles and Rick nodded at him, reaching back and placing his hand on his chair to push himself to his feet, "Did you want ice for your hand?"

"No." Daryl shook his head and looked back at Rick, "I'm used to this. They're more annoying than they're hurt." There was a small, humble silence between the two men for a brief moment as Daryl continued to think of Chris. He bit on his lip for a moment before glancing back up at Rick across the table, "What happened to that prick anyways?"

"Christopher?" Rick asked rhetorically and Daryl continued to listen, "He's been sent to the hospital. He's been arrested for attempted murder and assault of the third degree. Mr. Rodgers will be goin' away for a long time."

"We'll see about that." Daryl grinded his teeth together and stared at the full beer bottle next to him, shaking his head. "Can I get the hell outta here now? I answered all your damn questions already."

"I suppose so." Rick knew that Daryl was uncomfortable in the police station. Rick had taken a brief look at Daryl's criminal history and wondered if it had to have been weird for him to be on the other side of the jail cell. Just as Rick and Daryl stood to their feet, a loud ring came from Rick's jacket pocket and the detective reached in to fish out his cell phone.

"Hello?" Rick asked and Daryl could hear a faint voice echoing from the other end of the cellular device, "Is she? Alright-yeah, Mr. Dixon is still here. Okay... I'll be over there as soon as I can." Rick ended the short phone call and looked straight at Daryl, who stood on the other side of the table curiously staring at him. He then shoved his phone back into his pocket,

"That was Shane. Harli's just got out of surgery. I'm goin' to head over there now to get the doctors report. Would you like to ride with me?" Daryl stared at Rick once he heard his offer, not knowing what completely to do. He never trusted cops, never liked them, and always stayed away from them as much as possible. But there was something different about Rick that was sort of welcoming in his eyes.

"Sure." Daryl pushed around the table and Rick whirled around, the two stepping out the door and leaving the interrogation room. As Daryl passed by, some of the local cops that both he and Merle had dealt with in the past gave him nasty glares and snarls as he walked by. Daryl only narrowed his eyes and ignored their irate stares, following Rick out the door and to his unmarked, jet black police vehicle.

"What's your relationship with Harli?" Rick asked with his own curiosity and briefly looked at Daryl as his vehicle quickly made its way to the hospital. Daryl anxiously chewed on his thumbnail with his elbow hanging off the doorframe of the car. The window was cracked a few inches to let the cool air of the night run its course through Daryl's dark hair.

"Nothin' much." Daryl said plainly and stared out the window at the faded lights in the distance of the house in the hills. Rick looked at the backwoodsmen from the corner of his eyes,

"That it?" Rick pursued and Daryl dropped his gaze to the floorboard of the car.

"Yeah... that's it."

The rest of the car ride continued to be uncomfortable for Daryl and as soon as they pulled up to the hospital, Daryl couldn't wait to jump out of the car. He sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air of the cool Georgian night, letting it out slowly and seeing a light manifestation of his breath. Rick locked his car and Daryl followed him into the hospital, the two heading to the second floor where Harli was apparently being held. All Daryl's senses faded as he moved through the hospital, his eyes focused on anything but the ridiculous amounts of nurses and doctors passing him.

His nose could smell the sharp scent of sanitizers that made his brain sprout an instant headache. All the white fabrics of whatever passed his view made his eyes grow sore from staring too long, even if it was just for a brief moment. The atmosphere was dark and depressing from the many patients that were sick, injured, or dying in the establishment. Hospitals didn't pay too kindly to Daryl as he watched his mother slowly and painfully die in one. In fact, he absolutely hated them. Daryl had never been in a patient in a hospital before, and naturally, never wanted to end up in one. He wanted to avoid them at all costs and yet again, he ended up here because of some unfortunate circumstances that happened to someone he knew. The only thing keeping him from turning around in the suffocating hallway and heading right back out the door he entered was Harli. He wanted to find out if she was really alright or the doctor was blowing smoke up all their asses.

"Detective Grimes?" Daryl heard a female voice call and stopped just in time before running into the back of Rick. Taking a couple steps back, he stared at the black haired woman, a few thick strands of grey hair plaguing the dark locks that had been tied high up on the back of her head. She wore thickly rimmed glasses and had a thin set of lips with a pair of dark brown eyes that stared back at both him and Rick. Wrinkles descended from the corner of her eyes and lips that had been caused by many happy expressions, no matter how disheartening her job might have been. The red accent of her skin instantly revealed to Daryl that she was, indeed, a descendent of the some local Cherokee Indians from the reservation not far from their town.

"Are you Doctor Ficher?" Rick asked and the older doctor nodded,

"Yes. You're partner Walsh told me you were on your way." She pulled a file out from under her arm and held it tightly in her fingers, "How is your evening?"

"Probably not as good as yours." Rick shook his head and Doctor Ficher's lips drew into a thin line as the two gripped each other's hands tightly in a handshake,

"I was the one who performed Ms. Waldgrave's procedure."

"What's the damage, Doctor?" Rick asked and Doctor Ficher eyed Daryl standing anxiously behind Rick, watching him chew on his thumbnail. Ficher nodded and opened her file,

"Well... it wasn't as bad as I thought when I saw all the blood after the ambulance brought her in." Ficher adjusted her glasses with her thin fingers and took a deep breath as her eyes glazed over the papers tiredly, "The knife missed her liver by just a half an inch. It was pretty deep but we got it closed up and taken care of. Her wrist has a hairline fracture in the carpal bone from being smashed by some sort of object, there's a small crack in her jaw that shouldn't hinder her verbal communication but it might hurt for her to eat. A few teeth were knocked loose in whatever struggle she went through so I'm having a very good oral surgeon come in tomorrow afternoon to deal with the damage. We drained some fluid from her lungs and other than the nasty cuts and bruises on her face... she'll be just fine after a few more observatory days here in the recovery wing."

"That's good..." Rick managed to breathe with relief. Daryl closed his eyes and let out his own sigh, dropping his head and rubbing his hand roughly across the back of his neck. She was fine. Harli was going to make it.

"Rick!" The three all turned to see Shane stalking down the hallway towards them, the flaps of his black jacket swaying from the soft generation of his wake. Doctor Ficher stepped out of his way and Shane stopped in between her and Rick,

"Did you call her family?"

"Same time I called you." Shane nodded and his black eyes briefly looked to Daryl before he continued to Rick, "Should be here anytime."

"Aren't you the young Dixon brother of Mr. Merle Dixon?" Ficher finally asked the question that ate at her mind while her brown eyes stared at Daryl. Daryl looked over to her and nodded, scoffing mentally at the unnerving look on her face upon hearing his confirmation. Rick looked at Daryl from over his shoulder after taking notice of the Doctor's expression,

"He's with me." Rick's blue eyes looked at Ficher kindly, "He saved Harli from the suspect before the man had a chance to kill her."

"Speaking of which," Shane interjected with annoyance and irritation while staring at the doctor. Daryl became relieved that he had changed to subject of his shitty lineage, "What 'bout that dirty little snake? What's his condition?"

"Christopher Rodgers?" The Doctor asked and Shane gave a stern nod towards her, "I didn't do his evaluation. My associate, Doctor Masters, performed the assessment. I spoke to him briefly after running into him a few minutes ago. He mentioned a break in the man's eye socket and a fracture in his cheekbone. There was a pretty nasty bullet wound in his abdomen also..."

"Asshole deserved much more than he got. We should've just sent his ass to jail!"

"You know we can't do that, Shane." Rick reasoned and Shane tossed him a continuously irate glance,

"He almost killed her, Rick." Shane pointed down the hallway, to what Daryl assumed was where Chris' room was, "He deserves every little ounce of pain that's comin' to him!"

"We still gotta do our job the right way. Don't get off your rocker, Shane... especially not here at the hospital." Rick put his hand up and Shane let out a huff. Daryl could see the same heated anger boiling in Shane's eyes as he felt a few hours prior.

"Daryl!?" A voice called from down the hallway, "Daryl!?" Daryl looked over his shoulder and his eyes fell upon a very distraught and frenzied Russell Waldgrave as he marched through the hallway, not caring if he bumped into people as he trudged. Clayton wasn't far behind his father, his face even more grim than whatever expression was on Russ'. Daryl turned halfway to face the two Waldgrave men as they marched forward, feeling the exasperated energy taking over the hallway.

"Where's my daughter!? Where the fuck is she!?" Russ bellowed throughout the hall, making numerous nurses and doctors stop in their tracks fearfully at his deep, southern voice.

"She just got outta surgery, Russ." Daryl's voice rasped quietly against the large man's loud tone. Before Russ could speak again, Shane stepped forward,

"You Russell Waldgrave? Harli's father?"

"I don't have time for all this small chat shit. Take me to my daughter now before I start raisin' all the hell of the devil in here." Russ demanded while his deep blue eyes bored into Shane. Shane nodded without a word and turned around, Russ shoving through the group without another word with them. Clayton kept his eyes low and followed after his father, Daryl's eyes trailing after them as they disappeared into a room.

Daryl had never seen Russ so hysterical before. Even though Russ didn't show it, Daryl could feel the frustration and concern radiating off him. His jaw tightened and his teeth grinded together, the atmosphere around him slowly becoming suffocating. He watched Rick's lips move in inaudible words towards Doctor Ficher and she nodded at him, shutting her file and tucking it back under her arm. Ficher directed Rick towards the hallway and Rick looked over his shoulder at Daryl, "Did you want to come with us?" His voice echoed in Daryl's ears and hesitantly, Daryl stepped after them both.

He stopped outside the window to Harli's room, staring in through the door at whatever unfolded inside. Russ rubbed a frustrated hand down his face and shook his head, his eyes glued to Harli's condition. Clayton sat on a chair in the corner, his eyes red with grief with his hand pressed against his mouth, his eyes trying not to look at his damaged sister. Clayton's hands were shaking and he was trying his best to stop the light hand tremors and Daryl couldn't tell if they were from exhausting anger or shameful fear. Shane spoke to Russ with a surprisingly soft voice, explaining the situation to him and what exactly had happened to his daughter. Rick and Doctor Fincher spoke just inside the doorway of the room, leaving only a little space for Daryl to see whatever was inside the room.

Daryl's eyes focused on Harli, and for a mere moment, the sheer destruction of her familiar features took his breath away. Most of her left side was bruised and battered with sewn together cuts and clean bruises. A few stray patches of dried blood stuck to her tan skin and the swelling on her face almost made her unrecognizable. Her lip had a couple breaks in their once rosy composure and a light trickle of blood continued to drip from her nose. The chocolate, wavy brown locks he was so used to seeing dance around in the wakes of the wind now lied wet around her face in a tangle of shambles. Wires, tubes, and needles stuck into her skin to give her body aid from the unrelenting pain that was coursing under her skin as well as fluids that were much needed to give her skin its color back. Her pale exterior made Daryl's teeth chew on the inside of his cheek involuntarily; it was like the woman lying in the bed wasn't even Harli.

**.:o:.**

A sharp ringing managed to pierce Harli's ear all of a sudden, causing a harsh migraine to immediately form under her skull.

She could barely feel anything in her body. Her heart thumped in her ears along with the annoying ringing, her eyes moving under her eyelids frantically. A ball of phlegm and saliva managed to edge itself down her dry throat, Harli feeling it rolling down her throat every inch of the way. Her brain sent out little flickers of energy along the nerves of her arm, her fingertips twitching once the twinge met with its nerve center. Her conscious mind dominated her state and her eyes opened themselves, a low light above her piercing her sensitive green eyes. As they clenched shut, a soft groan lifted through her vocals and escaped her lips, Harli feeling her head roll to the side of a fluffy softness under the back of her head.

As soon as her mind flooded into consciousness, a burning sensation in her body caused her mouth to gape open with a light gasp. Her eyes opened and stared at the dim light above her, the vision of her pupil's cloudiness slowly focused and she noticed the bright white ceiling covered in a veil of darkness. Little heartbeats in her forehead and cheeks throbbed against her skin and her jaw ached once she opened it. After her teeth smacked back together, her jaws pain subsided briefly to give her some sort of relief of whatever was going on. A cold sensation crawled up the entire left side of her body, Harli's eyes moving to the valley of her arm to see a rather large needle sticking out of her skin. Immediately, her heart erupted into dangerous fluctuations of thrashing under her sternum as her needle phobia clouded her mind. She wanted to grab it and rip it out of her vein with her other hand, but for some reason, she could barely lift it up a few inches from her bedstead.

Suddenly, a flash of a pair of familiar blue eyes found its way into her vision and Harli quickly forgot about the needles in her veins. Her head slowly tilted up and the soft ringing in her ears subsided once a voice scared it all away, "Harli? Can you hear me?"

It was Red, and once Harli's vision cleared after a few bats of her eyelids, she could see the forlorn expression grimly wrapped around her face. Her hair was a mess and the whites of her eyes were red with some sort of misery as if she had been crying. A light grey sweater situated itself on her torso raggedly, Harli closing her eyes tightly and reopening them, "Red...?" Harli could hear the grogginess in her own voice, causing her to become somewhat alarmed by the sound of it.

"Try not to talk..." Red's southern accent was sweet to the sound and Harli was calmed by its soothing tone, "You're in pretty nasty shape."

"What happened?" Harli ignored Red and stared up at her older cousin as she hovered over her. The long black strands of Red's steam curled hair rolled off her shoulders and her bangs cluttered her face, "Where am I?"

"The hospital..." Harli wondered why Red was talking so quietly and Harli's eyebrows drew together on her brow. Her green eyes slowly blinked,

"Hospital...? Why?"

"You were attacked, babe." Red's eyes softened and Harli's mind suddenly cleared itself like a cloudy day reigned by the sun. Harli closed her eyes,

"Chris..." She whispered and Red pulled up a chair, Harli feeling her hand slide into hers. But she could only feel Red's warm skin on her fingertips and as Harli looked down, she saw a black brace claiming the region of her wrist. Upon seeing it, a hard twinge of pain ran through the nerves of her hand, causing her to hiss through her teeth.

"Hi doctor." Harli's eyes popped open at the sound of Red's voice directed to another individual. Harli turned to see Doctor Fincher standing on the other side of the bed, her thin hands sucked into the pockets of her white jacket,

"Good morning, Ms. Waldgrave."

"Morning...?" Harli mimicked with clear confusion and Doctor Ficher nodded,

"My name is Doctor Ficher... I'm the one that has taken care of you since you're arrival."

"What happened to me?" Harli asked and Doctor Ficher's chest lifted as she took in a breath. Her brown eyes stared down at Harli through a pair of thickly rimmed glasses,

"You were attacked by Mr. Christopher Rodgers in your home. Do you not remember?" Doctor Ficher's brow drew in confusion and Harli avoided her eyes for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts.

"I do remember..." Harli then met Ficher's gaze once again, "Only bits and pieces... though."

"Then you'll leave that information to us." Harli heard yet another new, yet familiar voice enter the room, her eyes struggling to see past Ficher. Two men in black suits stepped out from behind Ficher and they stood at the end of her bed, a couple soft smiles set on their lips. Harli's eyes widened and her lips parted in slight shock and awe at their appearance,

"Detective Grimes... Walsh?"

"Been a long time there, kiddo." Shane said with his smile and Harli realized that he was the one who spoke first as they entered the room.

"How did you...?" Harli narrowed her eyes tiredly as Ficher stepped back to let the two detectives take her place, "Why are you two here?"

"We were following Christopher for a while." Rick was next to speak and his soft blue eyes stared sympathetically down at Harli, "We kept track of him from Atlanta and after he disappeared here under our radar. It took us quite a while to figure it all out."

"Our captain wouldn't let us come straight here after his disappearance." Harli's eyes shifted to Shane as the man spoke, "Not unless he did something drastic. We heard about a bunch of different police reports that were taken here concerning some sort of stalking individual. The description matched Christopher's so we finally got our damned captain to let us come here."

"I wish we could've made it sooner." She heard the disappointment in Rick's voice as she looked to him, "I'm sorry."

"Please don't put this on yourselves..." Harli voiced quietly as she stared at the two familiar detectives, "There was nothing you could've done at the time."

"What do you remember from the attack?" Rick asked and Harli's eyes looked to the ceiling as if trying to go into thought.

"Um..." Harli mumbled and her eyes narrowed, her mind trying to piece everything together, "I got home... it was dark. I felt someone punching me in the face repeatedly. I remember seeing my bathroom ceiling... then I just-he was drowning me in my bathtub. After that... I don't remember anything else." Harli shook her head and looked to Rick, her eyes softening, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, now." Shane shook his head as his dark eyes stared at her broken, battered face, "It ain't your fault this happened."

"You should be lucky you have good friends." Rick smiled under the thicket of his scruffy facial hair, "If it weren't for Mr. Dixon you might not be layin' in this hospital bed right now."

"Dixon?" Harli's eyes narrowed as her voice spit out Daryl's last name sweetly, "Daryl Dixon?"

"He saved your life." Shane switched off and nodded his head, "Found you after all the trouble and beat Rodgers ass down without hesitation." Shane smiled more at the memory of seeing Christopher's face as he was wheeled into the hospital on his own stretcher after Daryl was done with him.

Harli's eyes stared back up at the ceiling, not knowing what else to say. Daryl had shown up at her house, for some odd reason, and had seen the commotion caused by Chris' undying determination.

"Doctor..." A light female voice entered the room and all eyes were on the young female as she stopped next to Ficher, handing her a thin file, "I have the results of the kit."

"Thank you Melonie." Ficher took the file and nodded at her nurse, the woman leaving quicker than she appeared. Ficher opened the file and adjusted her glasses, her brown eyes glazing over the hidden papers."

"Kit? What kit?" Harli's raspy, tired voice asked and Ficher looked up from her papers, staring down at Harli. She gave a hesitant gaze over at the detectives, who gave a stern nod to the female doctor to answer the question. Ficher then looked back at Harli,

"A rape kit."

Harli's heart instantly dropped into her stomach at the sound and the edges of her eyes began to water in hysterics. Her breathing grew a level and her lips quivered, "I was... I was raped?" She looked to Red for some comfort and saw the same grim look on her face that Harli imagined was on her own.

"By the results I am seeing from the examination by our gynecologist..." Ficher looked back down at the report and took a few more moments to try and gather the information quickly. Harli waited anxiously, "You were not raped. We only did the examination because you had bruises on your legs. We weren't entirely sure and had to be exact on our medical reports."

Harli closed her eyes as she felt a few warm tears roll down her cheeks. Red's tight hand loosened around hers in relief, "Thank God..." Red breathed and placed her hand on her forehead, rubbing the bangs out of her face.

"I'll leave you to her." Ficher looked to Rick and Shane, "If any of you need anything... please let me or some of my nurses know."

"Thank you, doctor."

"If Daryl brought me in..." Harli looked over at Red and Red's eyes looked back to her little cousin, "Where is he now?"

"He was here most of the night." Red stated and Harli remembered that it was now morning. As she looked up at the clock, she noticed that it was vaguely around ten o'clock in the early afternoon, "He left a few hours ago after I showed up; he didn't look too happy to be here and I think the only reason he stuck around was to make sure you were alright. Clayton and your dad were here, too. They should be back in a little bit. They went home to get some sleep. I insisted they did."

"Harli..." Rick said from the other side of the bed and Harli's green eyes looked to him. Every time she looked at Rick, no matter what situation they had been in, he always seemed to comfort her just with his stare, "We're goin' to let you get some rest. It's been a long night for all of us and you should save whatever strength you have for when Shane and I write up our report."

"Alright..." She said softly with a light nod of her head, "You boys get some rest, too... you look tired."

"Thank you kindly, Ms. Waldgrave." Shane nodded and the two whirled around towards the door, leaving Harli to her recovery.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. I just started watching that show **_**Arrow**_** and god I haven't been able to tear myself away from it! Urghh! It's so awesome! **

**Congrats on all the graduates and/or people who just got out for summer!**

**I wanted to bring something to everyone's attention as well since I've been getting a lot of questions about it. Harli is 27 years old. Russ is 43 years old. Merle is 41 years old. Clayton is 20 years old. Meredith is between 29-30. Daryl, since we don't even know his exact age in the show, I'm gauging him to be in his early 30's so... about 32 or 33?**

**Anyways, back from vacation so I hope the regular update schedule can resume. I'm starting to go on a job search as well so I don't know how that might affect me. I hate to say it but I think I'm about halfway through **_**Dirt and Roses**_** :( I gauge the story to end at about 30 chapters or so and will probably last through the rest of the summer. There's one more major arc to take place here in the next few chapters and I'm really excited to write it :)**

**Don't be sad! Enjoy the chapter instead!**

The scenery of the familiar forestry of Waleska flew by in a raged blur, the greenness of the trees and golden feed grass painting a colorful picture. A few clouds meandered about in the sky, not sure which direction to go without the gentle influence of a motherly wind. Birds danced and fluttered flawlessly about in the air, flirting with one another and enticing the other to follow after in a game of flight tag. Bushes stood on the side of the road motionlessly, but as the truck flew by, their roots desperately tried to keep them intact from blowing away by the power of the vigorous vehicle. The crunching strength of the tires disturbed a few pebbles on the roadway, sending them flying up into the air and crashing back down to their asphalt home violently.

Vortexes of wind piled in through the open window of the lifted, cherry red Ford as it rushed down the road. Its large wheels rolled like the loyal beating of a horse's hooves and bugs splattered against its precious, almost flawless paint. To the red beast's driver's dismay, the windshield wipers had a tough time ridding of the bugs fallen bodies on the dirty windshield. But with the quick spray of washer fluid, most of the insect's innards were wiped away in one clean swoop.

Harli rested her head on the back of the bench seat, her hair tossed up in a lazy hairclip. Whatever loose, chocolate brown curls escaped the claws of the clip now managed to tickle her face childishly as the wind blew through the cab. Her body bounced as the truck finally found level ground on the asphalt, Harli sighing in relief and mumbling a _thank you_ through her lips quietly. Her body couldn't handle one more abrupt recoil of the truck's poor shocks courtesy of a mischievous pothole littering the ground; it was just becoming too painful.

"It feels so good to be finally going home." Harli straightened herself out of the bench seat in between her two family members: Red and Clayton Waldgrave. Her green eyes stared at the black road rushing under the truck, "I can't wait to _finally _sleep in my own bed!"

"That's not very nice." Red pouted alongside her while keeping a steady hand on the large black steering wheel of her trusted ford pickup, "My bed is completely comfortable! I wish I could spend two weeks in it like you almost did!"

"I'd think of it as a little vacation." Clayton smiled and looked down at his older sister, his blue eyes flickering like a set of lights, "After what happened to you... recoverin' in such a comfy ol' bed shouldn't have been a bother."

'_It wasn't._' Harli thought to herself and her lips drew into a small frown. It had indeed been two weeks since she had landed in the hospital and those two weeks had been stagnate painful. Under her father's instruction, as well as the doctors, Harli was to stay somewhere safe and secure with eyes on her at all times. Russ wanted Harli to stay with Red, knowing full well he was far too unqualified to take care of his injured daughter. Therefore, Red took off a week and a half from work in order to stay home and take care of Harli. Every day was a struggle for Harli with a six inch knife wound dwelling in the pit of her stomach. Pain meds and antibiotics made her tired and sick for the first week, causing her to be bed ridden much to her disappointment. For the second week, Red had helped her younger cousin move around to try and get a bit stronger because eventually, Harli would have to go home.

And so was this day. Harli was finally strong enough to do things on her own and move around almost as freely as she used to. She proved herself on the days Red had to work, and to Red's relief, she didn't have to come home to find her younger cousin on the floor, or dead for that matter.

"I still don't think you goin' home is such a good idea." Clayton filled the air of the cab with his concerned tone of voice. Harli looked over at him as his elbow rested on the doorframe, his small blonde locks flicking about on his head, "You should at least stay with me and dad for a couple more days."

"I know you're worried, Clayton, but I have to go home eventually."

"At least let me stay with you tonight." Clayton pouted down at her, "I won't get no sleep wonderin' about you all night."

"Fine." Harli sighed and rolled her eyes, looking back out through the windshield as the familiar neighborhood came into view.

Out of everyone in their small family of the town, Clayton was by far the most affected by the situation. He had been the one that stayed out at the bar late with Candy and hadn't returned home to his sister. If he had, in his mind, he could've stopped what had happened to his sister. But Harli tried time and time again to reassure Clayton that it wasn't his fault; that even if he was there, Chris would have waited another day to make his move when she was alone. But Clayton wasn't so easily persuaded. Harli could still see the guilt and regret written all over his strikingly resembling facial features of their father. His demeanor was just as weathered as Harli's and Red's.

Russ came into quick thought when she thought of Clayton's resemblance to him. It was the first time, in a very, very long time, that her father showed any concern for her. He was infuriated when Rick and Shane told him about the situation and Harli heard that security had to escort him out because he was causing such a scene. Harli had a hard time picturing the situation in her head. He had even brought her some flowers when he visited her. She could tell that they were the cheap ones from the supermarket that were already withering under the influence of death, but Russ being her father, it was still a nice gesture. She had a new outlook on him and knew, deep down inside the alcoholic, druggie heart of his core, he still cared for her like family.

Harli was soon knocked out of her thoughts when she felt Red's truck slow to a stop. Harli looked out the window of the passenger's door, seeing her house standing silently in the neighborhood. A bright sheen of black metal struck her eyes and she saw her old rust bucket of a Camaro sitting loyally in her driveway, "My car... it's back?"

"Daryl must've driven it over." Red smiled and shut off the engine of her truck. Clayton popped open his door and stepped out of the vehicle, his boots landing with a thud on the concrete.

Harli hadn't seen Daryl at all since being in the hospital, or even after that. Two and a half weeks without seeing him, even after she heard the story. He had shown up at her house during all the commotion and saved her from an untimely demise. Harli couldn't believe her ears when Rick was telling her about it a couple days after she had managed to stabilize herself. Daryl Dixon, the rough backwoodsman from the small town of Waleska, who fought in the bars and didn't care much for anybody but Merle, had gone out of his way to check on her well-being.

"Harli!" Clayton called and Harli was instantly snapped out of her thoughts as she looked into her little brothers sparkling eyes. She noticed Red was now standing behind him as he extended his hand out towards her, "You comin' or what?"

"Yeah... sorry." She quickly apologized and moved down the bench seat towards him, her fractured wrist twitching from an annoying pain under the black brace. Her good hand grabbed onto Clayton's and he slid his free arm under her legs, Harli surprised as he lifted her out of the truck without any effort.

Her feet met with the ground and she stood still, staring at her house before her. It was where it all began.

Harli's legs moved slowly towards the front porch, her feet stepping across the small concrete pathway that led to her front porch. Clayton and Red exchanged brief glances before following after their much loved female counterpart, staying right behind her just in case she needed any help. Harli's hand landed on the cold door handle of the heavy front door, her eyes closing as she remembered the worst night of her young life. The door slowly opened with the push of her hand and Harli stepped in, staring at the contents of her house. To her surprise, it looked oddly undisturbed and whatever mess that was caused in the disturbance under Chris' wake had been cleaned up entirely.

A loud squawk came from the kitchen and Harli's head instantly flicked in the direction of the familiar caw. Gumbo flew out from behind the corner and landed on the couch, his deep grey eyes staring at her with the tilt of his black head. Harli could feel tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of her young, unharmed crow, remembering the fear she had felt when she found his cage overturned. As Harli reached her hand out, Gumbo curiously pecked at the wrist brace on her outstretched arm just as her fingers touched his soft feathers, "I'm so glad you're alright..." She smiled and she stroked his feathered breath with the back of her fingers.

"The vet said he'll be fine. He wasn't hurt at all." Red smiled and put a hand on Harli's shoulder,

"Thank you so much for taking care of them..." Harli wiped the back of her hand across her cheek to rid of the stray tears that managed to escape her eyes. Harli knew Red had taken Gumbo to the vet to make sure he was alright, and by what Red was telling her, Nacho was completely unharmed as well.

"God dammit kid! My grandma's stronger than you and she's fuckin' dead!" The three heard a shout come from the backyard and Harli's mind went on edge.

"Who the hell is here?" Red asked with confusion and Clayton took a step forward towards the slider glass door,

"I didn't see no cars outside..."

Harli moved behind the two cautiously and immediately noticed that the slider glass door was gone, the gap in the door wide open. A soft wind blew in through the gap, Harli's nerves calming somewhat under the cool pressure of the air. As she walked up to the door, Clayton and Red stepping onto the back porch to see what all the commotion was about. A flash of black darted across the backyard after a blob of orange, Harli's eyes narrowing just as she stopped in the doorway of the back door.

"Daryl? What the hell are you doin' here?" Daryl looked up at Clayton from the grass below the porch, stopping what he was doing and dropping the edge of the long box in his hands. On the other end of the box stood Daryl's shophand the young and rowdy Bobby Joe. He looked to Daryl for an answer on what he should do, but Daryl only stared at the Waldgrave's that stood in front of him.

"Just uh..." Daryl looked down at his end of the box and then back up at Clayton, his eyes looking to Red, "Cleanin' up a bit. What're ya'll doin' here?"

"We brought Harli home." Red turned halfway to face her cousin and Harli meekly stared back at Daryl as she stepped out of the house and onto the rickety old porch. "She's been pesterin' me for days to bring her back here." Red mused with a smile as her dimples sunk into her cheeks charmingly.

Daryl and Harli only stared at each other, ignoring everyone that stood around them. In the moments between them, it was them and only them. Daryl saw the faded bruises on her face, recoiling internally at their continuous sight on her attractive features. They may have not been so prominent than before, but they were still a bit painful to look at. The black brace bore heavily against her tan skin and his blue eyes desperately seemed to try and look through her shirt to see the bandages of her knife wound he knew was there. But alas, he quickly looked back into her eyes and she stepped down the stairs to the grass.

Red bumped Clayton's arm with her elbow and flicked her head back towards the house. Clayton pouted and refused to move, but Red grabbed him by the shirt and whirled him around to leave the scene.

"Bobby Joe... run back to my truck and go grab the rest of the stuff to fix this thing."

"A-alright." The older teen nodded meekly and jogged to the back gate, disappearing behind it. Daryl looked back at Harli, making the first move for the first time,

"You doin' better now?"

"Yeah... a lot better. Thanks." She smiled softly and Daryl could feel his skin tingle just by seeing it. It made him wonder so much just what was going on in her head. How could she smile so easily after what had just happened to her?

"I... I want to show you something." Harli broke through the slight awkwardness between their stares and Daryl's brow drew in curiosity,

"What?"

"Come on." Harli walked past him and Daryl turned after her, noticing she was walking towards the large shed in the farthest corner of her large backyard. It made him even more curious now that he was following her to the shed; he continued to wonder what exactly lied in its depths because of the padlock on the door.

But to his surprise, the padlock wasn't even locked and Harli yanked it off the slot, gripping it securely in her hand. Daryl stood behind her as she grabbed the double doors to the shed, pulling them open and stepping back next to Daryl. His eyes widened slightly at the sight before him, his gaze immediately dropping back down at Harli. She only smiled and stared at the two-wheeled beauty in the shed's depths, "It's a seventy-eight Harley Davidson Shovelhead. I bought it at a police auction before I moved up here... I just couldn't let it slid through my fingers."

Harli laughed and looked up at him. She watched Daryl's eyes glaze over the large Harley sitting on its kickstand; it's sleek black finish staring back at him. Harli's face softened humbly, "It's been a project bike for a while now... and it's way too big and heavy for me. So... I want you to have it."

"What?" Daryl was quick to ask and looked back over at Harli, his face both shocked and confused, "I can't take somethin' like that for free."

"You can..." Harli laughed under her breath and stared at the bike, "And you will. I want you to have this motorcycle. You were talking about how you want one but can't afford it... this is better than spending money to buy one." Harli shook her head and her eyes found his once again. He had nothing to say. He was so completely baffled by her gift no words formed in his mouth at the time.

Harli turned fully to face him as a smile formed on her face, her head tilting over her shoulder, "This bike runs and everything, I just need to give it a tune up and fix a few more things before it's spick and span. I'll do absolutely anything to this beauty you want me to; any modifications you'd like to make it yours. But there's only one condition."

"What's that?" Daryl's raspy voice asked interestedly and Harli's smile grew a bit bigger,

"You have to take me to Sturgis this year."

Daryl huffed at her offer and looked back at the motorcycle, shaking his head with an amused expression. His blue eyes narrowed as they found Harli's once again, "That ain't a good idea."

"Why not?"

"You just got home for Christ sake. Your hand's still all wrapped up and you got a hole in your stomach. Now ya'll wanna go to Sturgis of all places?"

"Your point?" Harli raised an eyebrow and Daryl shook his head,

"I ain't gonna take a woman who just got the livin' hell beat outta her to the biggest biker rally in the damn country. You're doctor and daddy sure ain't gonna like it." Daryl couldn't help but scoff and cock a small smile at the thought and Harli pouted,

"I could care less of what they think. Besides, Sturgis isn't until the first week of August. Today's the twenty seventh of June. I've got plenty of time to recover."

"I'll tell you what." Daryl stepped forward with his own proposition aimed at the green eyed woman and Harli crossed her arms, "You get me a little doctor's note from the hospital when it comes time, and if you're clear, I'll be glad to take you with me." Harli stood in deliberation for a few moments, staring into his serious blue eyes. She chewed on the inside of her lip and rolled her eyes, outstretching her good hand,

"Fine... deal." Harli gave into Daryl's offer and he grabbed her hand softly into a handshake. Harli exhaled upon feeling his warm hand gripping hers, her jaw tightening as she felt a wave of heat rolling up through her body.

"Daryl..." His body stiffened at the sound of her soft voice saying his name, seeing her eyes becoming glossier than usual. A bright smile broke through her lips, "Thank you so much for everything. I really... really don't think I'll ever thank you enough."

"You don't have to thank me."

Before Daryl knew it, her small body had been pressed up against his and her slim arms wrapped around his neck. He could feel her breath rolling up against his skin as she exhaled while her chin rested on his broad shoulder into a hug. Daryl didn't know what to do and he knew she could feel his heavy heart beating against his sternum just by the surprise she had taken him by. Daryl's arm slowly slid itself around her ribs and he softly pressed his hand against her back to return his own awkward hug. He had never hugged a woman like this before and it was so unfamiliar to him that he still didn't know what to do.

It surprised him even more when he felt her soft lips press up against his scruffy, rough cheek in a kiss. All time seemed to stand still and the kiss on his face seemed to last forever to him. Harli could feel Daryl's jaw sternly tighten under her lips, but she didn't care. She had to give him some type of affection to express her gratitude to him, and even then she still didn't feel it was enough. Harli slid her arms off his shoulders slowly as she returned to her original standing position, her mouth drawing into a half smile at the distant, oddly timid look on his face.

"Thanks again, Daryl."

"I uh..." Daryl managed to stammer out to Harli's surprise. With the shake of his head, he swept all his surprise away in one swing, "Like I said... you don't have to thank me."

"Hey Daryl!" The two turned at the sound of Clayton's voice, seeing the tall dirty blonde walking down the steps, "You still didn't answer my question. What exactly are you doin' here?"

"Cleanin' up, I said."

"Looks more like you're remodelin' the poor place. Wasn't this a crime scene?" Clayton looked back up the porch at the missing slider door. Harli stepped next to her brother,

"It was a crime scene... last week they came and cleaned it up."

"And that's why I'm here today." Daryl explained and the two stared at the younger Dixon brother. Daryl's eyes only looked to Harli as if he were speaking to her and only her, "They wouldn't let me in last week and I ain't got much work down at the house. I came to fix up your place... it got pretty messed in all the commotion."

"Fix it...? What got broken?" Harli asked a bit confused while staring at her house. Daryl narrowed his eyes,

"You don't remember?"

"She doesn't remember a whole lot of what happened." Clayton shook his head and Daryl's blue eyes met his, "The doctor said she bumped her head pretty hard at some point and it messed up her memory."

"Yeah..." Daryl nodded in remembering what it might have been that caused her minimal amnesia, "When that guy stabbed her... he slammed her up against the glass slider and she cracked it with her head. That's what's in that box right there." Daryl nodded his head at the long brown box lying in the grass behind the half-siblings.

"Wasn't that expensive?" Harli asked and Daryl shook his head at the thought,

"I know a guy down at the parts store... ain't got it for more than a hundred bucks."

"Daryl... you _really_ don't have to do this."

"It ain't no problem." Daryl reassured to her and Clayton smiled at the Dixon's gesture,

"Sis... if he wants to pay to fix up your house then let him!"

"Hey Clayton! I need your help!" Red called from the house and Clayton exchanged a quick look to the two before leaving them be once again. In only two bounds from his long legs up the stairs, Clayton was on the porch in only one split second.

"It's the least I could do." Daryl continued, his raspy voice bringing Harli's gaze back to him. Harli's face softened once again,

"Daryl... you really don't have to-"

"I do. You just gave me a damn motorcycle for god's sake. It'll make me feel like shit if I don't at least do somethin' to help you out."

Harli knew it would be a one sided battle to argue with Daryl, so she only smiled in reply to him. She opened her mouth to speak but she heard a few loud barks coming from the side of the house. Just as she looked, a black dart of fur jumped out from behind the house and sprinted through the green grass. It was Ruckus, and once he saw Harli, his legs moved faster and his attention only focused on her. His small snout opened with another few barks and he slowed, jumping up onto his hind legs and swiping his paws up against Harli's body.

"Ruckus! Down!" Daryl went on alert when he saw the pups paw slam up against her stomach, exactly where her knife wound had been sustained. Harli gripped onto her stomach and stepped back a couple steps, grunting and clenching her eyes shut, "Goddamn dog!"

"It's fine!" Harli opened her eyes to see Ruckus cowering under Daryl's stare, the pup knowing full well that he did something wrong, "He didn't know... besides. It doesn't hurt that bad." Harli smiled in reassurance and Daryl tossed another warning glare at the dog, but Ruckus ignored it as Harli knelt down to his level.

"Wow..." Harli rubbed her hand on Ruckus' head, his ears flopping side to side, "He got pretty big since the last time I saw him."

"Damn dog'll eat an entire bag of food in one day if I let him." Daryl chewed on the inside of his cheek while he crossed his arms, "Watch out... he likes to bite girls."

"I don't mind." Harli looked up at him and her hand followed Ruckus' body as he rolled around in the grass, "He's just a pup. Sometimes he doesn't know any better." Harli looked over to see Nacho strolling out from behind the house as well, his tail flicking around in the air casually as he strolled up.

"Ah... so that's what you were chasing." Harli rubbed Ruckus' belly, but as the pup took notice to the rather large cat, he jumped up and took off after him. Nacho whirled around on his little paws and sprinted in the other direction, Ruckus barking at him every step of the way. Nacho jumped up the trunk of a maple tree in the backyard, landing on the first tree branch he laid his green eyes on. Ruckus jumped halfway up the tree and continued to bark at the cat, but Nacho only lazily lied down on the branch and stared down tauntingly at the canine.

"Ruckus' been chasin' that cat the entire time we've been here." Daryl and Harli watched their two animals somewhat interact, "That fatass cat better hope my dog don't catch him."

"Nacho won't care..." Harli smiled and shook her head, "That cat's too friendly for his own good."

"Your crow don't like me much."

"Are you the one that let him out?" Harli asked curiously, remembering that her crow had been the first to welcome her home. Daryl nodded,

"Yeah but he won't come outside."

"It's because you're a guy. He never took too kindly to guys." Harli looked at him with a small smile and shrugged her shoulders, "And that thing with Chris probably didn't help his insecurity much."

The loud squeal of the back gate wheeled open and the two turned as Bobby Joe walked through, a bag box of tools in his hand. Daryl huffed, "God damn, boy, take your sweet little time! We ain't got all day we gotta get back to Merle's soon!"

"Well sorry, boss! I thought you'd like a moment with your gal here. Sheesh." Bobby Joe pouted and slammed Daryl's tools against his chest. With a bright grin, Bobby Joe stared at Harli charmingly, "Hello, Miss Harli. Sorry to hear 'bout what happened to ya. Such a shame a man would raise a hand to a pretty face like yours."

"Thanks Bobby Joe." Harli smiled back at the young boy and turned to Daryl, "It's a shame you boys will be leaving so soon. I was going to make you some dinner for all the trouble you went through to do all this for me..."

"Dinner?" Daryl asked with a bit of anticipation and Bobby Joe's eyes instantly flew to Daryl,

"Daryl! Can we please stay for her cookin'!?" Bobby Joe's face lit up like the first time a family plugs in their Christmas tree, "You're always talkin' 'bout how amazin' it is! I don't want to be stuck with eatin' my daddy's harsh dinner again tonight while my momma's away!" Daryl could feel his face heat up in a bit of embarrassment at Bobby Joe mentioning how he talks about Harli's cooking.

"I uh..."

"I really hope you boys can stay." Harli knew she had them hooked at the first moment she mentioned her cooking. Daryl sighed and ran a hand through his hair, uncomfortable under both Bobby Joe's and Harli's eyes,

"Fine... we can stay here to eat."

**.:o:.**

"Dear Lord, sis... I seriously don't know how you can cook like a god."

"I don't cook like a god I just... cook." Harli smiled in reply to Clayton as he sat at the extended kitchen table. She wiped down the countertops and tossed whatever dirty dishes there were in the sink for washing later on. The sun began to disappear behind the trees in Harli's backyard, her eyes darting to the stovetop clock to gauge the time. It was almost eight o'clock in the evening and upon seeing the time of day, a wave of fatigue washed over her body. With a loud, exasperated sigh, Harli tossed the washcloth in the sink and rubbed her hand over her stomach,

"You alright, Harli?" Red asked with a mouthful of the fried chicken that Harli had made. Harli smiled again and nodded in reassurance,

"Yeah. Just getting tired is all..."

"Need any help?" Clayton stood up while walking to the sink to return his dirty plate and Harli shook his head,

"Thanks... but no. I'll just clean it up tomorrow. It's not a big deal."

"Alright then." Clayton placed the glass plate in the sink carefully and let out a blissful sigh, rubbing his own flat stomach and placing a kiss on his sister's forehead, "Thanks for dinner."

"Anything for family."

"This was a mighty fine dinner I must say, Miss Harli." The Waldgrave siblings looked over at Bobby Joe, who stood to his feet and stretched from sitting for too long, "I ain't never had fried chicken like that before! Not even from my daddy's good friend Black Jim!"

"Thank you, Bobby Joe." Harli nodded and Daryl got to his feet, pushing his chair in,

"Come on Bobby Joe. I gotta get you home before your momma flips the house over."

"I'll take that." Harli pulled the plate from Daryl's hand and retreated to the sink, placing it in. Daryl watched her for a moment and then looked to the floor, turning towards the door and pushing Bobby Joe along. Clayton sat down for seconds as Harli turned the corner to follow after them, a small carry out box in her hand.

"Here are some leftovers. God knows I probably won't eat all this stuff." Harli offered the box to Daryl and he hesitated, but alas his hand grabbed it and he nodded,

"Thanks... and thanks for dinner."

"No problem." Harli smiled and nodded towards Bobby Joe as he stepped into Daryl's truck, "Go easy on him, okay?"

"I'm plenty easy on him." Daryl looked over his shoulder at the older teen, "He just needs a swift kick in the ass to steer him in the right direction."

"And you're the perfect person to do it." Harli laughed and Daryl cocked a rare smile, nodding along with her. Daryl stared into her green eyes as she leaned on the door, seeing her hand holding her stomach once again.

"You take care of yourself. Call me if ya'll need anything else."

"I will... and thanks again." Harli smiled and Daryl stared at her for another few moments before softly nodding and turning around on his boot heel. Harli watched his rough, broad stature step down the steps flawlessly, his arm swaying in his notorious Dixon strut. Harli's eyes softened as she leaned her cheek on the door, the coolness of its wood calming her heated skin. Her stomach fluttered like a bunch of little bees buzzing about in her stomach, not from the throbbing wound in her belly, but something quite different.

It was Daryl Dixon and she knew she was falling for him all over again.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Sorry for the late update, guys, I know you all expect me to update every Wednesday or so. But this last week my uncle moved here from Missouri (I live in Idaho) and he's staying at my house with his family for a bit while they look for a place. On top of that, my very close aunt just had her baby on Tuesday and MY OTHER aunt actually just went into labor a couple hours ago! Babies galore!**

**I also got back to writing my book after almost a year of writers block and I've been getting my ideas down while I still can because I'm like 3 chapters from finishing it. So to say the least, I've been pretty busy.**

**Enjoy this chapter, it's extra special, and review! It makes me happy :)**

"Come on Ruckus! Get in the truck!" Daryl called to his six month old pup, the black mutt coming from around the corner of the house. His gangly legs bounded as his heavy paws hit the concrete with a few loud thumps.

The pup attempted to jump into the baby blue Ford, but failed miserably and fell back down on the asphalt. Daryl let out a huff and leaned down, hooking his hands under the pup's front legs and sweeping him up into the bench seat. Ruckus landed with a grunt and wheeled around to face Daryl just as he slammed the door shut. Ruckus panted and stared at Daryl with a puppy smile as Daryl tossed Ruckus' favorite stick into the truck. Ruckus grabbed the stick with his mouth and tossed it around the truck, completely forgetting that Daryl was standing at the door.

Daryl walked around the front of the truck and pulled his driver's door open, sitting halfway on the seat and turning the ignition. The truck coughed to life and Daryl's foot tapped the gas pedal a few times, the engine revving and finally erupting into full force. Daryl's blue eyes flicked to Ruckus briefly, seeing the pup now fully engulfed in tearing his favorite stick apart.

Daryl was in an oddly good mood. It felt like ages since he had been in such a good mood and there wasn't much of a care in his world. The last time he remembered feeling this way was when he turned eighteen and was in the prime of his life.

"Ey boy!? Where the hell you think you're goin'!?" Daryl heard Merle shout over the Ford's engine and his eyes moved out through the windshield, seeing Merle standing in the doorway of his shop. He wiped his hands on his dirty shop towel while taking a few steps into the glaring sunlight above them.

Daryl stepped out of his truck and shut the door behind him, stalking towards his older brother, "You ain't gonna help me get this car done?" Merle asked a bit annoyed.

"It's the fourth of July, man. Come on! You ain't supposed to be workin'!" Daryl retorted while he tossed his hands out with the shake of his head. Merle instantly frowned at him,

"Yeah well we ain't got the luxury like you, Princess." He tossed the dirty rag over his shoulder and folded his arms, "You said you'd help me today. It's already five in the afternoon!"

"You got Mitch!" Daryl nodded towards the shop as he saw Mitch lying under the truck they were fixing, "That's all the help ya'll need. Besides, you just told me you were almost done with it."

"Yeah well, with your help we'd get it done a lot faster." Merle wadded a large amount of spit in his mouth and spurt it onto the concrete through his thin lips, "Then maybe we can go get the boat out on the water and head out to the lake cabin early 'fore everyone else."

"Sorry man..." Daryl shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, "I got somewhere to go... stuff to do."

Merle looked over his brother, seeing the new light that was brought to his face. He wasn't wearing any dirty clothes, yet he was still wearing his normal attire, and saw that his facial hair was now trimmed up so he didn't look so grizzly. Merle scowled at his little brother's appearance, knowing exactly where and what he was going to do, "You're goin' over to that little Waldgrave girl's house again, ain't ya?"

"Her name's Harli, Merle." Daryl stared back at his big brother, seeing a glint of annoyance in his eyes, "What's it to you anyways?"

"You've sure been hangin' out with her a lot lately. She's the reason why you've been ditchin' me the past few days." Merle huffed with the shake of his head, "You finally get a piece of that tight little ass yet?"

"It ain't like that."

"The hell it ain't." Merle narrowed his eyes and took a step closer to Daryl, "What's she worth if you ain't tryin' to fuck her?"

"Man, shut up!" Daryl shoved Merle back and Merle gritted his teeth,

"You put one more hand on me like that again boy, I'll make you swallow those pretty teeth of yours!"

"Stop bein' a prick and maybe I wouldn't have to!" Daryl whirled around on the heel of his boot and trudged back to his truck, "I'll see ya'll later!" He shouted angrily while jumping into the driver's seat and immediately spinning out of the driveway.

In his rearview mirror, Daryl watched Merle toss his shop rag angrily to the ground and stalk back into the shop. Daryl shook his head and chewed on his thumbnail restlessly, his hand hanging off the top of his steering wheel as he drove. He didn't know what the hell was going on with Merle lately and it bothered him in wondering why his brother was acting the way he was. Merle was being moody, more moody than usual, and he was taking to the bars almost every night. Daryl knew that if he asked Merle outright that he wouldn't get an answer anywhere close to what he asked for.

Daryl shook his head and rid of the thoughts. Merle was just acting like a whiney school girl going through a hell age of puberty.

His ears caught a sharp growl and he looked over to see Ruckus practically wrestling himself with his stick hanging from his paws. Daryl snorted and shook his head while his cheek tugged at the end of his lips into a crooked smile. The pup was definitely an interesting one.

As his truck bounced down the road, his eyes picked up every milestone of the familiar roads that wound their ways to Harli's house. Ruckus sat up from his playtime and looked out the window, feeling the breeze coursing through his thin black fur. He stood up on the frame of the door and poked his head out, Daryl looking over to see his big ears flapping in the generated wind. Daryl knew that Ruckus knew exactly where they were going. The black mutt could have a chance to give that fat orange cat a run for his money and maybe the overweight feline would lose some weight in the process.

Daryl turned on the last corner of the main street and followed the lining of uniquely different houses running down on each side of him. Finally spotting the familiar black Camaro he had become so accustomed to. Swinging his truck off the street, he parked right next to the car in the driveway and shut off his truck, looking over to Ruckus on the other side of the seat. The pup wagged his tail and bent his ears back cutely, waiting for Daryl to exit the vehicle so they could ascend upon the house together. Daryl snapped a blue collar around Ruckus' neck and shoved his door open, stepping out and letting Ruckus jump out of the truck by himself.

Ruckus' ears perked at the sound of Daryl's whistle and loyally followed his master up the steps of the wooden porch. Ruckus sat behind Daryl as the backwoodsman's heavy knuckles rasped up against the door in a couple knocks, "Harli? Open the door!" He called and after a few more knocks of the door, Daryl listened intently inside.

After not hearing any motivated footsteps coming to open the door for him, Daryl stepped into the unlocked house. He stared around and listened in for any noises, "Harli?"

He then noticed the back slider door was open and that Gumbo wasn't in his black cage in the corner. Ruckus sniffed about the house, looking for any signs of his feline friend that he could scare out of hiding submission. Daryl walked through the kitchen to the slider door and looked around the back yard, not seeing any sign of his green eyed counterpart. But as he looked, he noticed that the lock to the shed door was not on and that the door was cracked open.

His boots trekked lightly through the grass and he heard a couple low caws emitting from inside the small building. As he neared closer, he could finally hear the familiar, sweet voice of Harli making its way into his ears.

"_You piece of shit!"_ He heard her shout and he raised an eyebrow at her tone, "_God dammit, you little bitch! Just turn already, Christ!"_

Daryl pulled open the door to the shed and stepped his large frame into the doorway, seeing Harli's back to him as she sat on a small stool. Her good arm tossed a wrench across the room as she muscled out a few more curses, Daryl crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe as he stared at her with amusement, "Never took you as a woman with a sailor's mouth as dirty as yours."

He grew even more amused at her startled state as she jumped and quickly settled herself upon seeing him. With an abrupt sigh, Harli shook her head and rested it on her hand, "What's with everyone scaring me lately?"

"You're too damn easy to scare." Daryl shoved off the doorframe and moved towards her, Harli staring up at him with a frown,

"Yeah well, excuse me for being startled so easily after my estranged stalker broke into my house and tried to kill me." Her voice spit out sarcastically and Daryl formed his own frown on his face. He continued to wonder how she could so easily joke about something like that happening to her.

"What're ya'll doin' there anyways?" Daryl nodded towards Harli sitting next to _his_ motorcycle. Harli looked to it,

"Oh, uh... just trying to get the carburetor panel open so I can clean it out. I tried starting it this morning, but it doesn't seem to want to start."

"You shouldn't be messin' with this thing with your wrist all bummed up." Harli looked down at her braced wrist at the mention of it, "You're doin' more harm to yourself than you are good."

"It doesn't hurt at all," Harli looked up to him while shaking her head, "I'm going easier on it than I usually would... it's my stomach that's bothering me a bit."

"Well then, take a damn break. How long you've been out here for?"

"I don't know..." Harli shrugged her shoulders and stared at the wall in thought, seeing Gumbo perched on her workbench, "About three or four hours, maybe."

"Yeah, get the hell away from that motorcycle." Daryl pulled the wrench from her hand and Harli huffed with a pout,

"I'm just trying to do something with my life... I'm not allowed to go back to work until after my wrist heals." She mumbled annoyed and Daryl set the wrench down on the workbench, Gumbo staring at him warily through his black eyes as he approached. Daryl turned around and leaned on the table,

"Well it ain't gonna heal if you start puttin' it through hell and snappin' shit off that bike."

"Yeah, yeah..." Harli waved him off and put her hands on her knees, grunting as she tried to lift herself. Daryl pushed off the table as she got to her feet, her hand rubbing against her stomach,

"You alright?"

"I'm fine." Harli reassured with a smile and the two stood staring at each other for a moment. Daryl cleared his throat and stepped back from her,

"Uh... you should be gettin' ready now. It's already five after and we gotta get to the marina by six."

"Oh yeah, my dad said he wanted me to stop by the store and grab him a few things. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Daryl nodded and Harli smiled at him before walking over to the workbench where her crow perched himself.

"Come on you old coot, let's get you back into your cage." Harli elevated her arm and Gumbo's claws gripped softly onto her skin as. His wings stretched out a few inches from his body and his tail fluttered as he steadied himself on her arm.

Daryl followed her loyally back into her house and looked out into the grass just as Ruckus jumped up and raced after Nacho. Daryl shook his head and closed the slider door to a crack for the pup and cat, turning to see Harli helping Gumbo back into his cage. Harli's green eyes glazed over him briefly as her hands absently locked the gate behind her crow on their own.

"Wow, those are the first pants I've seen of yours that don't have holes in them." She mused with a smile as she stepped away from the cage, "What's the occasion?"

"No special occasion," Daryl rubbed his arm with his rough hand nervously, "Just um, didn't have any other pants to wear."

"Still got the same ol' cut off shirts though." She laughed to herself and walked towards the hallway that led to her room, "I'll go get ready... you just wait right here."

Harli stepped into her room and shut the door, letting out a sigh as she leaned against it. She closed her eyes, hearing her heart pounding in her ears annoyingly. While clearing her throat, Harli straitened herself and moved towards her dresser, yanking open a drawer and sifting around through the pile of unfolded clothing.

She finally found the bathing suit she was looking for and pulled it out, stretching the top open as she stared at the bikini. It was a black and pink bathing suit that Red enticed her to buy, Harli pressing it her chest uneasily as her mind waged war on whether or not she should wear it, especially around Daryl. But finally, the darker side of her put its foot down and won over her thoughts, Harli letting out her held breath and quickly stripping off her clothes.

She tied the bikini tops around her breasts and adjusted herself so the small number would fit around her C bust. Harli pulled on the bottoms and they tightly clasped to her backside, her eyes staring into the mirror embarrassingly at the sight of the somewhat revealing number. But quickly shaking her head, she tossed on a pair of shorts and a tank top to cover herself for the ride to the supposed cabin on the other side of the lake.

Harli shouldered her backpack and slipped on a pair of flip flops before turning the handle to her bedroom door. It squeaked open and Harli stepped out of the hallway, seeing Daryl sitting rather patiently at her kitchen table. As his blue eyes fell upon her, he got to his feet quickly and Harli stared at him with a confused smile, "You alright?"

"Yeah, just... I don't know I'm ready to go." Daryl saw the backpack sitting on her shoulder and he motioned for it, "I'll take that for you."

"Such a gentleman." Harli mused and slid the heavy sack off her shoulder, handing it to him. Daryl snorted at her statement,

"Hardly."

"Nacho!" Harli called from the back door as she slid it open, stepping out onto the porch.

"Ruckus!" Daryl shouted his name demandingly once he followed Harli, the two hearing his jingling collar as the black pup came jumping onto the back porch. Nacho waddled behind him as Ruckus sat down next to Daryl loyally while whipping his tail back and forth happily.

Harli leaned down and snatched up her large tabby cat and carried him inside, dropping the feline on her couch as she passed. Daryl locked the back slider door and he listened to Ruckus' thumping footsteps make their way across her hardwood floors as he followed her to the front. Daryl locked her front door behind him and as he looked, he already saw Harli crawling into the passenger's seat of his truck. With a deep sigh, he stepped down off her front porch and made way towards his old Ford, tossing her backpack into the bed before stepping into his seat along with Ruckus.

"Didn't you bring any swimming gear?" Harli asked curiously as Daryl drove his truck down the road. He looked over at her briefly,

"Yeah I got a bag in the back with some stuff in it." He looked back through the windshield and shook his head, "I don't know if I'm gonna stay at the cabin or not tonight, though."

"Gonna get drunk?" Harli continued to stare over at him with amusement, "I know everyone else is."

"Depends on my mood."

"I'll drink with you." She volunteered, causing Daryl to stare over at her with a bit of interest. But as much as he would've liked to enjoy that sort of company, he shook his head,

"Can't do that with all those damn pills you're on."

"Oh yeah..." Harli frowned with disappointment and stared out the passenger's side door, noticing they were now in the center of town.

**.:o:.**

After gathering Russ' things he called for at the supermarket, Harli and Daryl finally made their way to the Marina downtown. Harli laughed at Daryl's road rage as he shouted at the idiotic people around him, Daryl cursing at her just out of anger. She shook her head and smiled, leaning her head on her hand as the small breeze generated by the truck whizzed through her hair. Hundreds of people crowded around the streets, even more in their cars while making their way through town. The people sat on blankets and chairs amongst the hot beach on the lake, each of them claiming their own spots for the awaiting fireworks show.

Every year in the downtown area, Daryl explained on the way, the town would put on a huge fireworks show at the marina for the awaiting spectators all around. Everywhere in downtown was usually crowded at this time of the year. With Waleska being on the Cherokee Indian reservation, people could buy the biggest and most beautifully displayed fireworks. Granted, they were illegal outside the borders of the reservation, but that didn't stop anyone from buying them and hauling them out of the town. Even as they made their way through town, Harli saw numerous fireworks stands set up in practically every parking lot that crossed her path.

Red was at Harli's house the day prior, completely ecstatic about the fourth of July. Hayden was back in town and he had used a large chunk of his paycheck to buy the most extravagant and hardcore fireworks there were. Hayden had called Daryl and talked to him about going to the Dixon's lake cabin to have a party for the national event. Daryl was sold when he heard about the fireworks that had been purchased. Merle wasn't too crazy about the idea, but eventually, he caved in when he knew he could invite a lot of people and really party. And with a lot of people came a lot of booze and possibly a chance to get some tail.

Harli could feel the coolness of the water as it floated to the air once Daryl pulled into the marina. He waved his fist triumphantly and aggressively pulled into a parking spot close to the docks, halting the truck and shutting off its engine. He shoved open his door and stepped out, "God damn! I'm sick of all these assholes already!"

Harli knew his road rage was still boiling in his body, but she rolled her eyes and stepped out with a smile, "Hey now calm down. We're off the road, no need for that now!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Daryl mumbled and reached into the back of the truck, yanking out both their bags. He chucked their straps on his shoulders and shut the door after Ruckus jumped out, stuffing his keys into his pocket.

Harli tried to keep up with Daryl's angry pace, but once she felt her belly protesting against her fast movement, she slowed to an easier pace. Ruckus stopped on the dock and waited for Harli, his trusty stick in his mouth as he stared up at her. Harli smiled down at the pup and he led her towards the boats, Harli's green eyes moving up to see Hayden's boat sitting in the water already. Merle was on the other side of the dock, along with Mitch and a few more people Harli didn't know, and as Merle looked up to spot her, he gave her a sour look.

It was the first time Merle had ever given her a look besides undressing her with his eyes. Harli avoided his eyes uncomfortable and continued her way towards Hayden's boat, finally spotting Red sitting on the bow of the boat.

"Harli!" She called with a smile and her dimples sunk into her cheeks charmingly, "It's 'bout time ya'll showed up!"

"Sorry." Harli apologized and watched Daryl hand Hayden her bag after giving each other a stern handshake, "Dad wanted me to pick up a few things from the store for the barbeque."

"Oh that's fine!" Red stood up and reached her hand out to Harli, "Come on now! Get situated in the boat while you can!"

"Alright, alright." Harli took Red's hand and carefully stepped into the boat, her weight making the boat sway a couple times.

"How are you feelin' today, my dear?" Red propped her sunglasses back over her eyes and looked over Harli silently.

"Better every day." Harli smiled and Red nodded towards where she was stabbed,

"You good enough to take to the water? I see you got your bikini on."

"Yeah. I called my doctor this morning and said I should be fine. I just can't jump off anything or water ski and stuff like that. Only walk into the water."

"Like you would do anything like that anyways." Red mused with a bright grin and Harli rolled her eyes,

"Oh shush..."

"Yes!" Harli and Red all looked over to the docks, "My sis is set to come with us!"

Clayton walked up with Candy in tow, Harli a bit surprised to see the two holding hands as they approached. Clayton held his loving goofy smile as he stared at Harli, "Oh my lord, we're gonna have a great time today!"

"Come on Candy girl!" Red waved for her young blonde haired friend to enter the boat,

"I need to put my stuff in the back." Candy said and Red snorted,

"Hell no! That's what men are for!" Red's blue eyes glared at Clayton through her sunglasses, "Clayton! Take your girl's shit like a good man and put it in the back of the boat!"

"Oh, he really doesn't-"

"I'm a southern gentleman! Of course I will!" Clayton smiled and took Candy's bags from her softly, Candy's face blushing a bit from his charm. Red then helped Candy into the front of the boat and the young bartender sat in between both Red and Harli.

"Hi Miss Harli. How have you been feelin'?" Candy asked as she stared over at Harli with a bit of grief, "Clayton told me what happened to you. I'm terribly sorry. Your brother was downright torn up 'bout what happened."

"I know." Harli smiled back, showing that the situation no longer took its toll on her, "I'm doing quite well Candy. Thank you for asking."

"Anytime." Candy replied and Red rubbed her hand through her hair in boredom,

"Candy? Is Clayton bein' good to you?"

"Why of course he is!" Candy replied with a bit of a pout and Red shrugged her shoulders with her signature smile,

"Just makin' sure. You're too wonderful a gal to be played with by Clayton!"

"He doesn't play with me, Red." Candy smiled and looked to Clayton as he rough housed with Chester, "He's actually a fine young man. Treats me better than any other man I've been with."

"That's a surprise." Harli smiled and Candy looked to her,

"How's that so?"

"He's my brother. He's just been a little brat for as long as I can remember." She laughed and looked to Clayton briefly, "But it's actually very liberating to see him acting the way he is."

"You gals ready?" Their chatter was cut off when they felt the boat sway from the abrupt weight jumping in. Hayden smiled back at them curiously, "We got all the stuff loaded up. The Dixon's are gonna hang back for a few minutes, Russ is gonna be here soon."

"Yes, babe." Red replied and leaned back on the soft seat in the bow, "Just be easy on the speed. I don't want the wake thumpin' the boat and makin' Harli uncomfortable."

"I will." Hayden nodded and looked to Harli with his soft, Indian eyes, "Just let me know if it gets too much for you and I'll make sure to keep the speed moderated."

"Thank you."

The boat pulled off the docks and slowly, Hayden amped up the speed and they were off into the lake. Harli gave one last look behind her at the docks, seeing Daryl jumping into Merle's boat to ready to go. She felt water sloshing up from the sides of the boat, the water spraying her face lightly to give her some sort of relief from the hot sun above her. Her hair fluttered and flickered about in the air behind her, the skin on her back feeling its soft, antagonizing tickles.

Red and Candy stood up and Red stood behind the young blonde, their arms raised to the side in some sort of crappy remake of the famous Titanic scene. Hayden's boat jumped from a wave in the lake and Red fell back on the seat, Candy falling on top of her. Harli laughed as the two girls readjusted themselves, the two snickering under their breaths at their childishness.

As the boat began to jump a few more times from wakes spawned by other boats, the reverberations of the boat sent twinges of sore pain riddling through her chest. Harli did her best not to let her face reflect what she was feeling, but somehow, Hayden saw it and Harli could feel the boat slow. As she looked over at him, he smiled back at her and she tossed a thankful smirk back at him, turning her head around to enjoy the view of the lake around her.

After a few more minutes, Harli felt the boat slow even more and she noticed that they were now heading straight for shore. Harli shifted her body and leaned back on the seat, a dock slowly getting bigger and bigger as they approached. She didn't realize it didn't take much time for them to get there, after what seemed like a half an hour, and was a bit thankful for that. Her belly was beginning to throb with soreness and getting back onto immobile land was the first thing on her mind.

Clayton and Chester jumped out onto the dock, pulling the boat in and gradually bringing it to a stop. Clayton helped Candy and Harli out of the boat, Harli letting out a deep sigh of relief upon feeling something steady under her feet. Hayden helped Red out of the boat and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "You girls go ahead and settle yourselves. I'll have Chester bring you some chairs so ya'll can relax."

As if on cue, Chester grabbed some chairs from the back of the boat and hauled them over his shoulder, leading the ladies to solid land. He placed a chair down for Harli and she thanked him kindly with a smile, young Chester blushing and giving a goofy grin back at her.

"Dear lord, it's so hot today!" Candy waved her hand in front of her face, trying to give some sort of relief to her burning skin. Red huffed and pulled her black hair around one side of her shoulder,

"I wish it would just get later already." Red yanked her sunglasses off and stood to her feet, peeling the tank top off her chest, "Ain't gonna cool off sittin' here!"

"I second that." Candy stood up and pulled off her clothes, a Rasta colored bikini clasping onto her small frame. Red looked down at Harli,

"Come on, let's go get cooled off!" Red waved and Candy was already walking down the small sandbar towards the water. Clayton let out a cat-call whistle to Candy from the dock and she put her hand to her face shyly.

Harli stood up and pulled off her clothes, tossing them back on the chair and facing Red. Red raised her eyebrows and smiled after a short whistle, "Hot damn, woman. Never thought you would ever wear that pretty little number I talked you into buyin'."

"Well, I couldn't find my other one." Harli lied with a smile and walked with Red towards the water, "So I didn't really have a choice."

"I don't believe you." Red said with a wiry grin, "You just put that pretty thing on to give Daryl an eye-show."

"No I didn't!" Harli felt her face heat up and heard Red laugh beside her,

"You can try to fool anyone you want, but you can't fool me!"

Harli felt a rush of cold hit her foot and realized she had stepped into the water. It sent a shiver of pleasure up her spine and she stopped at the edge as Red continued in with Candy. Harli took a deep breath and walked in, the rush of the water sending intense sparks of reprieve across her skin. Her fingertips dipped into the water as she walked deeper and deeper, her green eyes closing as she let out another relieved sigh. A splash of water made her open her eyes to see that Candy and Red already swooped into the water, their hair and bodies soaking wet. Harli gasped when she felt the water touch her stiches and her body jumped with a bit of an unwelcomed jolt. But after a few seconds, the nerves around her stitching calmed and she let out her held breath, continuing deep into the water.

Red and Candy stood waiting, Red's hands hooked on her hips as she stared off at the cabin. Harli and Candy stood on each side of her, "Isn't this cabin absolutely gorgeous?"

"It sure is. I wished I had one." Candy replied while waving her hands around in the water, soft pools swirling around her body.

Harli stared at the cabin. It was indeed a beautiful one and she was utterly surprised that the Dixon's harbored such a nice piece of property. The cabin looked very old and battered, most likely from the advanced years of weather and wear. But it seemed to look like new somehow. It was a double story cabin with windows all over it, the roof caked with green and yellow moss. It had a large porch with a few wooden chairs that sat out front, a porch swing sitting on one corner of the front view. The cabin sat just on the edge of an outcrop of trees that provided plenty of shade to the house so it wasn't too hot to enter. The grass outside provided a nice, level lawn in front of the house that eventually turned into a small sandbar before hitting the water.

Harli heard a loud hum behind her, as did the other girls, and their gazes were pulled from the cabin as they turned around. The Dixon's pulled up on the other side of the dock, the waves created by the boat splashing against the girl's bodies. Daryl jumped out along with Ruckus and pulled the boat to port, tying it off on one of the rings of the dock. Red and Candy walked past Harli back to the shallow shore and Harli took a deep breath, dropping the rest of her body into the water. She blew whatever breath she had through her nose so she didn't suck any into her nostrils and jumped back up, taking a fresh inhale.

Her fingers wiped over her eyes and she slowly walked back to shore, her hair clinging to her wet skin like a magnet. She absently rubbed her hand over her stitching, twitching when the nerves under her soft skin became disturbed. Harli ruffled her hair and stopped at her chair, grabbing her shorts to put them on.

Daryl watched from the dock as inconspicuously as he possibly could, seeing Harli pulling on her shorts. But he managed to catch a glimpse of her backside before it had disappeared into the article of clothing, her bikini shorts sucking tightly to her tan skin. He had to draw his eyes away as he set down some boxes next to the cabin, taking a deep breath to calm his boiling mind. But her appearance didn't push him away much, or his control wasn't that good, because his eyes couldn't help but steal another look as he walked back to the boat.

That white smile of hers gleamed back at Red, who was sitting in front of Harli while she stood, and Daryl stared at her eyes next. But as he did, he could catch little drops of water sinking down off her chin and onto her chest. More and more descended from her wet hair and clothing, the enticing little drops of beads making his eyes move lower and lower as he followed their trails. They cascaded down her neck and rolled off her collar bones, disappearing into her cleavage to where they hid for good. But more comrades dropped from the peaks of her bikini top and descended down her flat belly and ending behind the veil of her buttoned shorts. But the abruptness of those stitches made his eyes turn to them, the large laceration glaring back at him grimly. He swallowed hard and managed to pull his eyes away from her once again.

"Daryl!" Daryl looked up to see a rolled sleeping bag careening towards his face. His hands shot up instinctually and they caught it just in the nick of time, "Keep your eyes focused there, kid."

Daryl's family friend, Junkyard Jess, stared back at him with a toothy grin and Daryl huffed, hooking the sleeping bag under his arm. Jess wrapped an arm around Daryl's shoulder shoulders and pulled him along as they went to unload their armfuls of items. Jess' blue eyes flickered over to Harli, "You been staring at that girl since we showed up. She that one you were tellin' me 'bout?"

"Yeah..." Daryl nodded and kept his eyes forward, knowing he was caught by looking at her.

"Ouch, them stitches look like they hurt." Jess winced just by looking at the stitched up laceration and tugged at Daryl, "Bet you put the good hurt on the guy who did that, huh? Them knuckles of yours may as well be illegal in this county, good lord."

"Did my best." Daryl nodded and recalled the day after the incident in which he showed up at Jess' junkyard with his damaged, bloodied hands, "But she's fine now. Say's those stitches don't hurt much."

"She's a pretty little gal. 'Lot prettier than that Felicia girl you've been hangin' around with since you were twelve, in my opinion." Jess said as he tossed the blankets and sleeping bags on the porch of the cabin, Daryl scowling at the last memory he had with Felicia.

"Yeah well you won't be seein' much of her anymore. Hell, I haven't even heard from her for like, three weeks."

"Good riddance. She was always a troublemaker, that woman. Gettin' you in trouble and whatnot." Jess laughed under his breath and nodded back towards Harli, "I'd like to meet this _Harli_, if you don't mind."

**.:o:.**

The night sky burned at the horizon of the mountains, the rest of the space almost completely dark. The skinny moon above them shined down brightly and happily, reflecting off all the drunk, polished faces of the party goers. More people had shown up by Merle's invitation, and the entire property was jumping with happy drunks that laughed with the good time. People danced by the music that thumped from the boats on the water and some even went off the dock in search of relief from the hot, stale weather. People mingled amongst each other and invited their friends for shots of the different alcohols that were provided. A Volleyball net was awkwardly strung up with the help of some flimsy poles, the younger adults pumping the ball back and forth in attempts to play a game. But with both inexperience and inebriation, it just became a game of itself just to get the ball over the net.

Harli sat on the dock with her feet playing around in the water, watching humbly with a smile at all the commotion on the property. What made her laugh even more was the way her drunken father was acting as he tried to join in with the volleyball game. Her eyes dashed over all the people and fell upon the familiar faces, Harli keeping track of everyone and what they were doing out of sheer curiosity. With a full belly from some greatly cooked barbecue foods, Harli got away from the commotion to take a breather. Many people wanted to chat with her about hearing what had happened and that Daryl was the one that showed up to save the day. After telling the story over and over again, she needed a few moments to herself. It was amazing how fast information traveled in such a small town.

She had met Junkyard Jess, Daryl explaining that he was a family friend and knew Daryl ever since he was a young kid. Basically, she knew, Jess was Daryl's surrogate father. He was a very sweet and interesting man and spoke nothing but nice things of Daryl. There were a lot of people Harli had met that didn't do that.

On the sandbar, she noticed that Hayden, Clayton, and Chester were beginning to set up the fireworks.

"Why ya'll sittin' out here all by yourself?" She heard a raspy voice slur and looked over to see Daryl walking towards her. He had a bit of sway in his step and immediately Harli could tell he was drunk.

"Just taking a breather... I'm getting a bit tired."

"Well that's no fun." Daryl mumbled while plopping down next to her and splashing his feet in the water, Harli pressing her hand against his chest to make sure he didn't fall into the water, "I got it, I got it..." He brushed her hand off and took a quick swig of his beer clasped loosely in his fingers.

"Just want to make sure." She smiled and rested her hands in her lap, his blue, glassy eyes staring over at her, "You ready for the fireworks?"

"Fuck yeah." He said plainly and pointed at the sandbar with his beer bottle, "Been waitin' for that shit all day long. They're the best part. Hayden's got some pretty good ones this year."

"You and Hayden are pretty close, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that..." Daryl shrugged and looked back at her, "We just grew up together... we've been friends for a while. But he just kinda goes off on his own and does stuff. Now he's got Red, too."

"That's not a bad thing, is it?" Harli asked a bit curiously to see where Daryl stood on that type of thing. Daryl shook his head,

"Hell no." His voice slurred and he took a quick drink of his bottled beer, "It's good for the kid. You shoulda saw him when he was just a little guy. The biggest little troublemaking shit you'd ever meet. But I think Red has somethin' to do with that... whipped his ass into shape."

"Yeah, she does have that type of move about her." Harli laughed and instantly found Red in the crowd, her and Candy standing around the shots table. They hooked their arms and dipped their heads back, pouring shots down their throats like it was nothing.

"You really wanted to drink, huh?" Daryl asked and she looked back at him, seeing him struggling a bit just to stay seated. Harli shrugged,

"I don't know... Maybe just a little bit."

"Red tells me you're not much of a drinker."

"No..." Harli shook her head and looked down at her finger swimming in the water, "I never took to it as a sport like the rest of my family."

"Well... here." Daryl offered her the rest of his beer and Harli stared at it questioningly,

"I thought you weren't gonna let me drink because of my medication?"

"Hell, it's just one beer! Besides, you shouldn't listen to me, I'm an ass."

"No you're not." Harli laughed and took the beer, holding it in her lap. Daryl pouted,

"Yes I am. A complete and utter dickhole."

"You give yourself too much credit." Harli joked and Daryl snorted with a laugh, rubbing his face,

"God damn..." He slurred tiredly and Harli laughed at his disheveled hair as it poked up into the air.

Just as Daryl went to speak in retort to her laugh, a bright explosion burst through the air and both Harli and Daryl looked up. The mortar exploded and sent red, white, and blue sparks shattering through the air. An eruption of hollers and hoots came from the crowd at the beach as more fireworks, popped off for the audience to enjoy.

Roman candles, sparklers, firecrackers, bottle rockets, mortars, and all kinds of different fireworks lit up the air and sparked with delight. The luscious display of black powder extravagance pounded with reverberations of their explosions. Harli's eyes watched the mortars dance and sizzle in the air above them, always loving the way fireworks displayed themselves. Sparks rained down towards them from the air and the bright lights made her eyes squint from the sheer brightness. The more subtle bursts of lights around them made Harli look over the lake's water, her mind fluttering in awe at the beauty of the lake side's being completely covered with many other shows. Shouts continued to echo from the shoreline of the Dixon's cabin, the audience's beers and fists rose into the air with happiness at the event unfolding.

Finally, Hayden and Clayton shot off the rest of the mortars, the intense display causing aftershocks of the explosions to pound against Harli's skin. Sparks pounced and attacked each other from all the different pyrotechnics detonating all at once. The heat slowly sunk down to earth and Harli burned under its warmth, half wanting to dip herself back into the water to cool down. But the larger fireworks soon subsided.

"_America!"_ Harli heard someone shout from the beach and smiled at their drunkenness.

"Ugh..." She heard Daryl scoff and looked over to see his hands rubbed his face. Harli turned to him,

"You alright."

"I'm ready for bed." He mumbled and leaned back on a hand, groaning again, "Everything's spinnin'..."

Harli pulled her legs out of the water and stood to her feet, Daryl trying to look up at her with his spinning eyes. He managed to see her hand elevated down to him, "Come on, I'll help you to bed."

"Alright..." Daryl groaned and grabbed her hand, Harli straining through the dull pain in her belly to get him to his feet.

He leaned against her and Harli tossed his heavy arm around her shoulders, keeping him steady as they walked. It wasn't much of a walk, more like a sophisticated stumble as Harli led him down the trail towards the cabin. Harli caught a few stares and points of fingers as she passed by with Daryl, but she soon ignored them and desperately tried to get him up the stairs. She was a bit surprised it wasn't as hard as she thought, so she opened the door and Daryl led himself inside. Harli stepped into the darkness as Daryl stood hunched over in the doorway of the kitchen, his hand rubbing over his face again. Harli was quick to grab a bottle of water out of the old fridge and rubbed her hand on his back,

"Come on, almost there."

"My room's upstairs." Daryl leaned back against the wall and stared down at her, Harli letting out a sigh,

"Well, let's get to steppin'." Harli helped him to the open stairs and he took the first step.

They finally got up the set of stairs after a couple longs minutes and Harli kept Daryl from falling. He stopped at a door and Harli took that as a motion that it was his temporary bedroom. Harli pushed the door open to the large room, taking in its features briefly before finding the bed to lead him to it. Daryl wobbled a bit and his legs threatened to give out once his eyes spotted the bed. His weight bore down on her a bit more than usually and she struggled to get him to the bed,

"Come on, almost there!" She huffed while almost dragging him to the bed at that point, "Daryl, pick up your-!"

Daryl whirled around and Harli fell with him, Harli bouncing on his chest as they hit the bed. Harli let out a sigh of triumphant relief at the task while resting her forehead on his chest. But then, the reality hit her and she froze when she felt Daryl's hand sliding up her bare back and stopping at her shoulder,

"Your skin... it's soft." Daryl mumbled and cracked his blue eyes open to stare at her. She swallowed hard and gawked back at him,

"Thanks..." She whispered back and he let out a deep breath, closing his eyes again. Harli's skin tingled when the fingers of his other hand brushed up against her back. She tensed and her mind swirled as she didn't know what to do. She was lying on top of Daryl, in a bed, alone.

She stared at his serene face and it oddly didn't look drunk or tired. She could feel his strong lungs lifting her weight as his chest raised and fell with each deep breath that he took. His hands were still pressed against her back and under her own chest she could feel his heart thumping soundlessly against his sternum. Harli's hand hesitated to move, but it finally managed to cough out its courage and slid up against Daryl's face. Her thumb trailed over the scruff on his jawline and she heard his let out a deep breath at her touch, smiling softly at the sound of his resting breath.

Daryl's eyes opened again and he stared up at her, his hand moving from the skin of her back up to her hair. Her wet hair tingled against his skin as it cascaded off her shoulder. Drunk or not, Daryl didn't care. He wanted this woman that was lying on top of him and he'd do anything to do it. He didn't want her the same way he had wanted any other woman. He wanted to feel her skin under his, her warmth synchronizing with his own, and her fingernails caressing his skin softly. He wanted to know what those sweet rosy lips of hers tasted like and to see that smile of hers after they parted for fresh air.

Daryl leaned up and caught Harli's lips in his, wrapping one arm around the small of her back and pressing her tightly against him as much as he could without hurting her. It made him relish in the fact that Harli kissed him back and her fingers pressing against his cheek made him warm. She fixed herself more comfortably on his body and stretched her legs over his waist, pressing her hips down on him.

Their lips both grappled at each other in both fever and lust. Their hands finally moved about each other as they explored one another's bodies. Harli's fingers wrapped themselves in Daryl's coarse hair, her fingernails lightly scraping along his scalp as they moved. Daryl's hands pressed against her sides as they moved down, stopping just at the rim of her shorts, and repeating their trail back up to her ribs. He was so half tempted to pull the strings of her bikini off her back and see the treasures that enticed him as they pressed tightly up against his chest.

She tasted so much better than he hoped. He was glad she didn't drink any of the beer he offered to her. It would have soiled the moment he had been secretly waiting for, for such a long time.

And Daryl, in return, tasted like beer. But Harli didn't think it was bad, it was actually quite exciting. Her body heated up at his kisses intensity and she absolutely didn't know what to do with herself but just roll along with him. She felt like a puppet under his control and the more he touched her the more she boiled in the pit of her stomach.

But even as much as she wanted to pursue on with her exploration, she knew that her stitches would limit to what she would and could do.

As if Daryl could sense it, he pulled away from her lips and stared back at her green eyes framed by her chocolate brown hair, "I'm sorry, I'm drunk... I didn't mean to, uh..."

"It's alright..." Harli smiled and laughed under her breath, lifting herself up off him a few inches, "I don't know what came over me either."

"You should probably... I don't know. Hayden might be leavin' soon." _God damn, you idiot. This girl is in bed with you_ Daryl warred in his mind. Harli smiled softly and let out a sigh, sitting up and completely forgetting she was sitting on his hips,

"You should get some sleep, drunkie." She then slid her hand off his chest and stood over him as she left the comfort of his body, Daryl letting out his held breath and closing his eyes,

"Yeah... I guess you're right."

"Goodnight, Daryl. Don't feel too crappy tomorrow."

"Too late..." Daryl mumbled as he heard her footsteps slowly fade to the door, it shutting behind her.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Guys, I understand you really want weekly updates, but spamming me isn't going to make me write new chapters faster. I don't want to sound mean... I just have a lot going on in my life right now with my family and whatnot and it has really drained my writing schedule as of recently. **

**So that being said, please enjoy the chapter.**

Harli stepped down the large, concrete steps of the Fulton County Courthouse, her black heels clanking with each step she took. A soft breeze gave her burning face refuge from her brown bangs as she stopped to take in the sweet wind. The large buildings of the city menacingly towered over her small body as she stared at them, her lips letting out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes. Dozens of people passed by her, some talking to their counterparts that walked with them, but most passing with silence. The annoying sound of blaring horns and car engines raced across the street in the late afternoon, their drivers suffering from mild to extreme road rage.

She then looked over the double doors of the courthouses entrance, seeing people passing in and out constantly, not giving the doors a break. Her nerves calmed somewhat as her hand rubbed the back of her neck in reassurance. A few strands of her done-up hair tickled her cheeks, her feet taking the rest of the stairs down to the large platform of concrete below.

No longer would she have to deal with Christopher.

The court date had finally arrived and Harli had driven all the way to Atlanta to testify against him. Fulton County wanted him tried in Atlanta because of his probation violations and the charges filed against him in Waleska had been carried over to the courthouse along with him. Detectives Grimes and Walsh wanted Harli to testify against him. They wanted her to tell everyone, whatever she remembered, what he had done to her.

Harli was tired. It was a long and stressful day sitting in the courtroom for hours on end listening to lawyers bicker back and forth in the courtroom. A couple psychologists were called to the stand, Christopher was cross examined, and finally, Harli was called to tell her story. Christopher's lawyer was tough with his battering questions against her, but she managed to get through it without becoming too hysterical while reliving the moments that had scarred her for life. The lawyer even brought up Christopher's assault.

Harli was completely baffled when Christopher spoke of his assault, which was caused by none other than Daryl the same day she had passed out in his driveway. The lawyer tried to make it Daryl's fault and battered Harli with questions on why Daryl would do such a thing. Harli continued to reassure that she didn't know. And that was the truth. She honestly didn't know why Daryl had assaulted Christopher in such a rash way.

But eventually, the District Attorney turned the tables with Daryl's own testimony. Of course, Daryl wasn't there in person, but Detective Grimes had recorded his testimony for evidence of the trial. Hearing Daryl's raspy, strong voice completely washed away almost all of Harli's nervous fear in the courtroom. It was easier for her to sit and ignore Christopher's eyes on her almost the entire time.

The jury took almost an hour to reach a verdict and once the judge called out the decision that was received, Harli's heart sky rocketed into her throat. Christopher was found guilty on all his charges, which included assault and battery, attempted murder, aggravated stalking, and probation violations. He was sentenced to twenty five years to life with a slim chance of parole.

Harli let out another relieved sigh and brushed her bangs behind her ear, rubbing her hand down the side of her thigh. The thought of Daryl made her lips burn once she remembered the night of Fourth of July, which was a couple weeks prior to her present mindset. She had only seen him a couple days after that because Daryl had been completely swamped with work. The first few moments between them were a bit awkward, but afterwards, they couldn't help but go back their normal selves around each other.

"Ms. Waldgrave!" A familiar, female voice called from behind her, knocking Harli from her thoughts, "Ms. Waldgrave!"

As Harli turned, she saw the Defense Attorney rushing down the steps towards her. Her wavy, dirty blonde hair was tossed up in a clip and it bounced behind her head, her blue eyes staring back at Harli with a smile that mimicked the one on her thin lips. Her black heels clanked down the steps just as Harli's had, the woman's fingers clasped onto a small portfolio full of her other cases for the week.

"Thought you were running away from me!" She laughed while coming to a stop by Harli, who now turned fully to face her.

"Sorry Ms. Harper..." Harli said with an apologetic smile, "I just wanted to get out of that courtroom already."

"I don't blame you. Mr. Rodgers is kind of a creep." Harli could see her shudder in a bit of displeasure.

"Congratulations for winning the case. I don't think there's a defense attorney out there that's as good as you."

"Thank you for the flattery..." Ms. Harper said with a bit of a blush, "But I should be the one thanking you. If you didn't testify, there was no way Rodgers would've gotten convicted."

"Oh, it wasn't much of a big deal. I just wanted to see Chris finally get what he deserved." Harli nodded with a small smile and Ms. Harper looked past Harli, another smile forming on her thin lips,

"You comin' over here to give me a big ol' thanks there, boys?" She called and Harli looked over her shoulder, a small content smile forming on her lips.

"Oh, don't get too cocky there, Andrea." Detective Walsh smiled back at Ms. Harper as he came to a stop, "Don't wanna spoil your week with talk like that!"

"Yes, we came to congratulate you." Detective Grimes said with a nod, his blue eyes turning to Harli, "And we also came to bid our farewells to Ms. Waldgrave."

"Please, you two, call me Harli... Ms. Waldgrave makes me feel so _old_." Harli said amusingly and Rick chuckled under his breath,

"It's just our professional protocol. We try not to get too attached to our victims by calling them by their first names."

"Even though you are our favorite... it's far too late for that..." Shane mumbled while brushing his finger against his nose. Harli's eyes grazed past all three of them,

"Thank you all so much for your hard work on this case... if it weren't for you three... well, I don't know what would've happened."

"You don't have to thank us." Rick shook his head at her, "It's just part of our job."

"Andrea here did most of the work." Shane pointed his hand and Ms. Harper,

"Oh please... you two did just as much as I did!" She waved off the compliment and then looked to Harli, "But when you leave here today, give me a big thank you to that pal of yours... Mr. Dixon, was it?"

"I will." Harli nodded with a laugh.

"Well, I say we get out to celebratin' here soon!" Shane said with a big grin and both Andrea and Rick stared at him, "Drinks are on me tonight!"

"Would you like to join us Ms.-uh... Harli?" Andrea quickly corrected and Harli smiled back at her with a soft shake of her head,

"As much as the offer sounds... _tempting_, I'm going to have to pass. I have a long drive home and I have to get ready for a road trip I'll be taking here in the next few days."

"Road trip?" Rick asked curiously and Shane followed in suit,

"What kind of road trip?"

"Sturgis." Harli quickly replied and she instantly got excited just thinking about it. Andrea raised an eyebrow at her,

"You think you're doctors going to let you go all the way to South Dakota on the back of a motorcycle?"

"I have an evaluation appointment in the next couple days." Harli's green eyes caught Andrea, "My wounds are practically healed now. I'm really hoping I can get my brace off for good by the weekend." Harli rubbed the brace on her left wrist unconsciously, wiggling her fingers to trigger some type of painful response from her fractured wrist.

"Well, you should be careful if you do go." Rick said and Andrea looked at him,

"Oh, quit being a worry wart!"

"Alright, alright, we'll let you go now." Rick smiled at Harli and she laughed under her breath, slipping her hand into her pocket to grab her Camaro keys,

"You take care now, Kiddo." Shane patted her back and gripped at her shoulder, Harli turning towards him and giving Shane a hug. He was a bit caught off guard, but ultimately returned it back to her.

After giving Rick and Andrea both thankful hugs, Harli walked past them towards the street with her keys jingling in her hand, "Now ya'll stay outta trouble!" Shane called behind her and Harli smiled, giving them all a wave before turning back around and continuing towards her car.

As the Camaro's headlights shined the darkening highway in front of Harli, she stared at the clock, seeing that it was already seven at night. She wasn't expecting to be gone in Atlanta all day, but the trial took longer than anyone expected. Harli's fingers scratched through her hair tiredly, her now undone hair flickering back and forth by the wind throwing itself through her window. Her lungs sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, the soft sound of a Fleetwood Mac song singing through the Camaro's old speakers. Her nerves were finally calmed all the way and all her stresses and hinders shattered all in one go.

She thought of the softness of her bed waiting for her at home. She thought of Gumbo's welcoming chatters to her as she walked through the door and the small tapping of Nacho's feet making their way across her hardwood floors jauntily at her arrival. As soon as she jumped into her pajamas, Harli would sit down on her couch with a bowl of ice cream and watch some cheesy crime scene shows and possibly the news. All Harli wanted now was to be comfortable, alone, in her house with her cat and crow.

Alone. Such a lonely word.

But at the thought of it, she wondered what Daryl was doing. She wondered if Daryl would accompany her with a bowl of fudge brownie ice cream and sit down to watch a movie with her. But then again, he wasn't really that type of guy.

Her thoughts were flushed from her head when she heard the familiar jingling tone of her phone ringing, the violent vibrations of its metal jumping against the seat. Harli grabbed it and brought it up to eye level, careful to keep her eyes on the road to avoid an accident. She tilted her head when Meredith's name popped up on the screen, Harli's thumb pressed against the screen as she answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Harli! It's great to hear your voice!"_ Red called back on the other end and Harli could imagine her bright, dimply smile, _"How did the trial go, hun?"_

"Good, but I'd rather not talk about it right now. Just trying to get over some nerves right now."

"_No, no problem. That's actually good!"_ There was an odd cheerfulness in Red's voice, making Harli curious, _"Can you come by my house tomorrow afternoon? I need to talk to you!"_

"About what?" Harli asked and could imagine Red wagging her finger at her,

"_Uh-uh! Just meet me at my house and we'll talk tomorrow! Is that okay?"_

"Yeah, sure. I'll call you tomorrow."

"_Alright! See you tomorrow, my lovely!"_

"Bye Red..." Harli laughed and ended the phone call once she heard the other line go dead.

**.:o:.**

Harli stretched out across her couch, lazily watching her large television with her blanket half tossed over her legs. The sun attempted to glare into her veiled window, a fan swirling on her counter that blew in through the living room. It had to have been at least eleven o'clock in the afternoon already and Harli was still lounging around her house. It was something she hadn't been able to do for a long while but finally, she was able to actually sleep in with the help of a bit of pain medication.

Using her stomach, Harli leaned up on the couch and rubbed her hand over her old knife wound. The stitches were no longer present, but she could still feel the slightly sunken in skin of the aging scar. There was barely even any soreness in her abdomen upon using her belly to sit up, causing Harli to smile. Her feet pressed against her wood floors as she stood up, stretching out her body in every way possible. Soon, they maneuvered her to her bedroom awaiting Harli's arrival at the end of the hallway.

After getting ready and giving a quick call to Red, Harli tossed on some clothing to suit her for the day. It was lazy, summer clothing, but Harli didn't care what she looked like. She was just hoping to go to Red's house, stay there for a little bit, and head straight home to finish working on Daryl's motorcycle in the backyard shed. She only had a week to get it running perfectly enough to make sure it would make it to Sturgis and back all in _one piece_: that being the most important part.

Her Camaro rolled down the road, Harli mentally cursing to herself when she realized that she had caught the lunch rush. Even though it was a small town, there was still a pretty hefty amount of traffic in the area. Especially when she finally managed to get through downtown, it was almost as clustered with stupid drivers as Atlanta was. But she got through downtown and continued on towards Red's house, careful not to jump out of the car and beat up every single, idiotic driver that was out.

Harli stopped to think once again, '_why am I being so hostile when I drive?'_ She had never been that way before and was pretty laid back when it came to driving.

'_Oh God, I've been hanging out with Daryl too much..._' Harli thought to herself once she diagnosed the problem, her hand rubbing down her cheek. She then shook her head and gripped her steering wheel tight, letting out a huff as she pulled into Red's neighborhood.

The Camaro's growling engine died in submission and Harli stepped out into the Georgian heat, rubbing the back of her hand across her lightly sweaty forehead. With no air conditioner in her old rust bucket, it was a bit harder to stay cool in the jet black vehicle on such a hot day. She shut the door behind her and walked towards the front door of Red's house, grabbing the door handle and pushing the entryway open. As she stepped in, a pair of bright blue eyes looked at her up from the couch and a gleaming smile caught Harli's full attention.

"It's about time you got here! You take a wrong turn and end up on the other side of the country or somethin'?" Red mused and Harli rolled her eyes, shutting the door behind her,

"Traffic was a real bitch."

"Swear words?" Red raised an eyebrow and laughed, "God damn... you've been hangin' out with Daryl far too much."

"Whatever." Harli shook her head and slumped down on the couch next to Red. Red laughed again,

"Such a Dixon word."

"So..." Harli tried to change the subject as she stared over at Red while situating herself more comfortably on the couch, "You wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah!" Red giggled and turned fully to face Harli on the couch, "It happened last night... while me and Hayden were out on a fancy date."

"Oh lord..." Harli rubbed her forehead and stared at Red with a bit of hesitation, "You're not gonna talk about one of your crazy sexcapades again, are you?"

"No!" Red gasped with a smile and humbly pressed her hand against her chest. Finally, Red extended her hand out towards Harli, Harli looking down at it curiously.

"_Red!?_" Harli gasped once her mouth dropped, her hand instantly grappling onto Red's, "Is that-!?"

"Yeah!" Red nodded with a laugh and Harli couldn't believe her eyes.

A beautiful engagement ring stared back at her, black and white diamonds all wrapped around the sterling silver band. It glistened in the light that helped the beauty of the ring shine out through the window, Harli rubbing her thumb across the diamonds. Her eyes began to water and the veil of tears forming in her lids made the diamonds glisten even more.

"He proposed last night..." Red said humbly and Harli stared back up at her, a large, happy tear rolling down her face,

"Meredith Waldgrave is getting married..." Harli breathed, followed by a laugh as she lunged at Red, wrapping her arms around her neck, "My god damn cousin is getting married!"

"I know! Even though I said I never would!" Harli heard Red beginning to cry out of happiness as well, the two cousins gripping each other tight. Harli finally pulled away from Red and stared into her blue eyes,

"The wedding? When is it?"

"We were thinking about September." Red said, her mind still pondering on the subject, "Probably the beginning of the month. We were talking about it last night after we got home from dinner. Hayden wants to have it before his grandma dies... she's not lookin' too good right now."

"That's only a month and a half away..." Harli said with a bit of surprise and Red smiled and nodded her head, her hand wiping the wetness off her cheeks,

"I know, I know... but we're not lookin' to have a big extravagant wedding like all the prisses out there..." Red laughed and then she stared back into Harli's eyes, Harli seeing a sparking excitement in them, "Harli... I want you to be my Maid of Honor."

"M-Maid of Honor...?" Harli said with shock, staring at Red who only continued to smile at Harli.

"Yes, baby cousin!" She nodded at Harli, "I wouldn't want anyone else _but_ you!"

"Are you... sure?" Harli asked warily and Red nodded at her.

Harli's mind whirled at the thought. She was going to be a bridesmaid at her closest cousins wedding. Red was more of a sister than a cousin to Harli, always being there when Harli needed her the most. But now, Red, of all the hardass people Harli knew, was getting _married_. Harli couldn't be happier for her cousin and now she was going to be right by her side when she tied the knot.

"Alright then!" Harli jumped to her feet and Red stared at her cousin curiously, "I say we go celebrate tonight. Let's go have some drinks, shall we?"

Red's dimpled cheeks sunk when her lips opened into a whitened, sly smile, "Now girl... that's what I like to hear."

**.:o:.**

Harli sat on the passenger's side of Red's giant red Ford, hearing the growling engine echoing off the townhouses and buildings as they passed. Her stereo blared The Scorpions and other 80's classic rock from a mix CD that she had made. People walked down the streets of downtown, staring at them as they passed by and single men hooted and hollered at the girls. With the two in such good moods, they couldn't help but holler back all in good fun, taunting them with their good looks and flirtatiousness.

As done up as they made themselves, the two Waldgrave women hurried on towards the Marty's Bar and Grill on the other side of town. It wasn't Red's favorite bar just because she worked there, but more on the fact that the environment was so warming for her. Marty was just like an uncle, the old southern coot, and he always offered her free drinks and food when she partied at his specific establishment.

Pulling into a parking spot close to the bar, Harli and Red jumped out of the lifted Ford and gathered their purses for the evening. Even for a Thursday night, the bar in front of them was still packed with regular partiers, eaters, and alcoholics.

Both Harli and Red wore a pair of jagged jean shorts, Red wearing a dark blue, strapless shirt that showed only a little of her tan belly. A golden yellow tank top fluttered off Harli's chest, the tips barely meeting with the edges of her shorts. Both Harli and Red's iron curled hair bounced as they walked together, their boots thumping against the concrete towards the front doors of Marty's bar. Harli brushed the fingers that stretched from her wounded wrist against a thick curl that cascaded off her shoulder. Harli has risked it, but without any more pain, she had finally taken off the wrist brace that she was told to leave on until her next doctor's visit. But Harli ignored the orders. She had to get that itchy thing off.

Red slid off her sunglasses and stuffed them in her purse, grabbing onto the handle of the door and pulling it open. As always, the flood of loud, crazy voices and music inside exploded into Red and Harli's ears as they entered. The doors behind them closed slowly and the girls stared around their inside surroundings, trying to find one person in particular. Red began to head through the crowd of tables and clumps of people, Harli following after her closely, careful not to lose sight of her recently engaged cousin. Harli excused herself as she walked through the crowd, bumping into and rubbing up against numerous people as she passed. A few smiles and friendly apologies were exchanged with her as she went, Harli brushing them off the nice people that bothered to acknowledge her and let her through.

Harli finally stopped and saw Hayden sitting at a table with Chester and Clayton beside him, Red sitting on his lap and giving him a big kiss. Harli smiled and sat down next to Clayton, who wrapped his arm around Harli's neck and shoved her face against his chest, "God damn, sis! Look at her! Our crazy cousin is gettin' married!"

"Can't believe she chose my asshole of a brother." Chester mumbled with a grin with the rim of a soda bottle to his lips, Hayden tossing his little brother a slightly annoyed glance. Chester only brushed off his brother's stare and rubbed his fingers through his jet black hair, his brown eyes staring over at Clayton, "I have some great _ideas_ for the wedding!"

"No you don't!" Red snapped with a pout, "If I know you two boys, which I do, it'll be a wreck!"

"Don't pay no attention to them." Hayden smiled and Red's blue eyes looked back at him, "They're just jealous."

"Of what!? Getting' tied down for the rest of my life!" Clayton laughed to himself and with Harli still put in her headlock, she reached her hand around and pinched the skin on his chest, through his shirt, as hard as she could. Clayton slapped her hand away and let her go, hissing as he rubbed where she pinched, "Ow!"

"Congratulations to you both." Harli ignored Clayton, who mumbled profanities under his breath, and stared back at the happy couple with a smile, "I'm really excited for the both of you."

"Thank you Harli." Hayden smiled and they all looked to Red upon hearing her whistle, her hand twirling in the air towards the bar,

"Candy Girl! Set me up a round of Fireball shots!"

"It's about friggen time!" Clayton called back at his cousin, a bright smile plastered on his face.

Candy was quick to bring them a round of shots, placing them down in front of everyone that sat at the table. Clayton winked at the young blonde and she blushed, standing back and slapping her hand on Red's shoulder, "Let me know if ya'll need anything else."

"Thanks, babe." Red squeezed the girl's hand and plucked the shot up from the table, as well as everyone else.

"To friends and family... and my beautiful husband to be." Red looked down at Hayden with a smile while she still sat on his lap.

"Cheesy!" Clayton coughed under his breath and Harli rolled her eyes, elbowing him in the ribs. Clayton pouted back at her but quickly after, the two half siblings down their shots in one gulp.

The cinnamon flavored whiskey burned itself down Harli's throat, making her head dip and her eyes close as it moved into her stomach. The burning alcohol dropped to the bottom of her belly, causing it to instantly warm upon arrival and a small bit of queasiness over take Harli's body. She shook her head and coughed once, Clayton smiling over at her, "Too much for you?"

"Hardly..." Harli replied and before she knew it, the queasiness in her body suddenly disappeared.

"Well this is a sight for sore eyes." A raspy voice said and Harli turned her head around her, her brow rising with surprise. There Daryl stood behind her, tossing her a nod of acknowledgment before returning his gaze to Hayden, "Never took you as the sort of man to tie the knot!"

"That's not the first time I was told that today..." Hayden smiled while grabbing a beer on the table and taking a large swig, "I guess you don't know me at all. Where's your brother?"

"Back over there." Daryl nodded towards the back of the bar, everyone's gaze following his to see Merle flirting with a fake blonde, who's bleached hair had been grown out for some time. "He gives his regards."

"Doubt that." Hayden retorted with doubt while taking another drink of his beer. Daryl sat down next to Harli,

"Been a few days since the last time I saw you." He said and Harli knew instantly that he was already feeling the effects of a buzz. Most likely from drinking beer all day with Merle while he worked, "Took your brace off, I see."

"Yeah." Harli nodded and looked at her wrist where her hand held a bottled beer, "Thought I should give it some air for once."

"Shouldn't be takin' it off without the doctor sayin' so..." Daryl frowned as he caught a beer that Hayden had slid towards him. He immediately took a large swig of it as Harli rolled her eyes at him,

"I can do whatever I damn well please."

"Hey Candy!" Daryl called without replying to Harli, Candy's blue eyes staring over at the younger Dixon. He waved at her and she knew exactly what he wanted, her hands moving quickly as she poured out a bottle of alcohol.

Candy set down yet another platter of shots, this time, the glasses being a much bigger than before. Harli stared at the two glasses that Candy set in front of her, one being a shot glass and one being a regular, "What the hell is this?"

"The Dixon favorite." Candy smiled while looking back at Harli, "The Irish Carbomb."

"You're drinkin' with the big boys now. I hope you know what you got yourself into." Red smiled while grabbing the shot glass next to her other and dropping it inside the large cup. Harli heard numerous clanks of everyone dropping their shots into their bigger glasses.

"Scared or somethin'?" Daryl asked from beside her and she looked back down at her glass, grabbing the shot and dropping it in. Everyone raised their glasses up into the middle of the table in a toast,

"To the newlyweds and free drinks!" Clayton toasted and with the clinging of their glasses, the rims of the cups were brought to everyone's lips.

Harli coughed after taking a large swig and she put the back of his hand to her mouth, her eyes watering upon feeling the intense alcohol riddling through her system, "Good god..."

"What?" Daryl asked curiously, his eyes already beginning to glaze over from the hard stuff. He then smirked upon seeing Harli's eyes watering, "Too much for you."

"What the hell is in that _Carbomb_?" She asked while looking into the glass as it was still half full.

"Two different whiskies mixed together in the shot with a glass of Guiness." Daryl tilted to rest of his drink into his mouth and downed it without a second glance. Harli scrunched her nose,

"You trying to kill me or something?"

"You're the one drinkin' it... it ain't like I'm sittin' here pourin' it down your throat." He said and Harli looked down at her drink, feeling her eyes beginning to glaze over from the booze beginning to pump through her veins. With such a low alcohol tolerance, Harli wouldn't be surprised if she was drunk by the time she finished both the drink in front of her and the next shot that would be called.

"You gonna finish that?" Daryl asked curiously, his tongue burning as he stared at the half empty drink in front of her. Harli smiled and looked down at the drink, grabbing it into her hand and swigging the rest of it down her throat, to Daryl's surprise. "Damn..."

"Looks like you're gonna have to order your own." Harli coughed and smiled back at him, Daryl raising his hand and wagging his fingers for another couple shots, only for him and Harli this time.

**.:o:.**

Harli was getting dizzier and dizzier by the minute. She sat happily in her chair, laughing and smiling at the stories that were being exchanged across the table. She wasn't horribly drunk, just buzzed before the point of legitimately being called _drunk_.

Daryl sat beside her, now a bit more buzzed than he first walked in and almost to the point from when he was at the lake cabin on the fourth of July. Harli couldn't say for sure whether she liked him better when he was drunk or when he was sober. But he definitely was better company when he had a few drinks in him. Harli actually saw him smile heartily and laugh along with everyone. She didn't know why he didn't smile much when he was sober. He had a profound smile.

Harli got up from her position and walked towards the bar, doing her best to try and avoid people as she walked by. But ultimately, there were a couple she had stumbled into by tripping over peoples personal items that were set out on the floor.

Finally making it to the bar, she leaned against it and looked behind, seeing Candy's hands working back and forth to fill orders from her greedy customers. A couple other bartenders worked alongside her, the women pumping out shots upon beer bottles. Candy's blue eyes then caught Harli's face and with a couple words tossed back at her fellow bartenders, Candy made a beeline towards Harli.

"What'll you have, girly?" She asked with her bright smile and Harli leaned her head on her hand,

"Can I get a couple waters, please?" Her voice slurred and Candy couldn't help but laugh under her breath at Harli. She nodded her head,

"Of course... give me a minute!" Candy said as she walked away, leaving Harli to patiently wobble in place while she returned. Harli gave a few exchanged smiles with a couple people at the bar, their eyes watching her warily and just waiting for her to do something stupid. But even though alcohol rolled through her body, she was smart enough to keep herself planted so she could spare herself any unwanted embarrassment.

"Never thought that Meredith Waldgrave of all people would get hitched." Harli heard a feminine voice say from beside her and she turned, seeing a familiar blonde haired woman staring at a glass whirling in her hand.

Felicia.

Harli's eyes narrowed at the woman as her hazel eyes turned to Harli, "Not that I care of nothin'."

"Why even talk about it then?" Harli's mouth said before her mind could deliberate what she really wanted to say. Felicia smiled at Harli's already annoyed tone,

"Because I damn hope that her happiness goes straight down the toilet."

"That's my family you're talking about." Harli turned fully to face Felicia, the blonde's smile beginning to get bigger,

"So how's Daryl treatin' you?" She spat venomously through her smile, "Horribly, I hope. That man sure is a fuckin' asshole."

"Just because he kicked your ass off his property?" Harli smiled back charmingly while tilting her head, "Still mad about that, huh?"

"Hardly... just wonderin' why he chose a little bitch like you over me."

"Bitch, huh?" Harli took a steady breath through her nose, trying not to let the alcohol cuel the burning rage in her chest, "I just take it that he finally took out the garbage, which he should've done a long time ago."

"Mighty words from the girl who almost lost her life. You sure know how to choose shitty men there, huh?" Felicia continued to smile at Harli, whose hand balled into a fist on the bar.

"Back off Garwood..." Harli turned when she heard Candy from behind the bar, the two cups of water sitting on the bar in front of her, "You know damn well Daryl tossed your skanky ass gone and antagonizin' Harli here ain't gonna change that fact. Don't be jealous that he's actually _happy_ without you."

"Back the fuck off, Candice." Felicia spit out Candy's real name in hopes that Candy would step down, but she didn't,

"And you damn well leave Red and Hayden be. That woman will rip you to shreds."

"I'd like to see her try." Felicia smiled and grabbed one of the cups of water, taking a drink of it slowly. Harli and Candy watched the woman slowly and Felicia stared straight into Harli's green eyes, "That Dixon boy will just use you up and toss you to the curb like every woman he's ever slept with. You better watch your back."

Felicia tossed the cup of water at Candy, dousing her soaking wet with the ice cold water. Candy let out a sharp cry and gasped from the coldness, water dripping off her face. Harli didn't pay attention to Felicia, flinching when water cascaded all over her face and chest, Harli gasping from that sheer cold of the water on her body. But as if she hadn't drank at all, Harli was sudden snapped into brief soberness.

"Better keep an eye on your cousin and that pretty little Hayden." Felicia said as she leaned in close to Harli's ear, "It would be a shame if something... _were to happen_ to ruin their sweet engagement. As for Daryl, when he's drunk like this... he'll be an easy little puppet." Felicia tapped her hand on Harli's cheek as she drew back, Harli's eyes glaring with rage.

Just as Felicia turned away, Harli grabbed the back of her shirt and flung her back towards the bar, Felicia halting once her back hit the hard surface. Her eyes stared daggers back at Harli as she yanked her arm from Harli's tight grasp, "Keep your hands away from Daryl." Harli warned and Felicia couldn't help but smile back at her with whatever charm she had left.

Felicia's hand smacked across Harli's cheek, Harli's head cocking to the side and her body stumbling back from the force of her hit. A few shouts and gasps directed themselves at Harli once she bumped into people, but Harli ignored them and only stared right back at Felicia, who had a nasty scowl plastered across her face. The throbbing, stinging sensation on her cheek caused the back of her hand the wipe across her mouth, her eyes scanning over her skin to make sure there was no blood. Harli readjusted her stature, the alcohol in her system flooding through her brain and causing its reasoning to completely erase from her mind. There was one thing and one the thing only: Felicia Garwood.

Harli grabbed Felicia's throat once she ran towards her, Felicia grabbing onto Harli's wrist as she was rammed onto a table. Harli reached her fist back and plunged it into her cheek, watching Felicia's eyes rattle. Felicia's knee slammed into Harli's stomach, causing her to double over and release Felicia's throat, her feet carrying her back a couple steps. Once Harli looked up to face her rival, Felicia grabbed Harli by the back of the head and all Harli could see was the bar careening towards her face.

A humongous uproar from the drunken crowd erupted throughout Harli's ears once she dodged the bar, a hand wrapped tightly in her hair on the back of her hair. Her hair being pulled to its limit made Harli's scalp burn, her hands wrapping around Felicia's wrist to alleviate the pain. Constant shouts of hoots, hollers, and even a few cries barked for the two women to stop, made the two female gladiators fuel with adrenaline and power.

Harli shoved her boot back and it crashed into Felicia's stomach, a brief smile cracking on her lips once she heard Felicia cough out. Harli whirled around and shoved Felicia back, the crowd around them dispersing as Felicia rammed into a table, knocking beers and food all over the floor. Felicia quickly recovered, but her body crashed to the floor once Harli's bony knuckles slammed into her jaw again. Gasping, her fingers clawed at the wood floor, her feet trying to kick her back to her feet as fast as possible.

A man grabbed Harli's arm and tried to stop her from going after Felicia again, but Harli ripped her arm from his tight grasp, already feeling the bruising of his fingers forming. As Felicia got to her feet, she barely missed Harli's fist and Harli's body followed the vigor of her balled hand as she fell forward. Felicia slapped Harli as hard as she could and Harli stumbled back again, tripping over a downed table and crashing to the floor. Felicia was on top of Harli quickly, pressing her knee against Harli's sternum with all her body weight, Harli attempting to gasp for air. Harli's face dropped back against the floor once Felicia punched her already damaged cheek, her mouth gaped open in hopes of sucking in a fresh breath.

Harli's wounded wrist began to throb and burn with annoying intensity from being put through hell. She did her best to ignore it, but the more she moved it, the more that it was beginning to become overwhelming. She had to end this fight quickly or she was most surely going to lose it. To a Waldgrave: that wasn't an option.

Harli managed to topple Felicia back onto the ground and the two women got to their feet, staring each other down with blatant hate. Harli didn't realize it at first, but they both had made it through the crowd and towards the front doors. If Harli could just get Felicia outside and away from the crowding, drunken spectators, she would have the brawl in the bag.

Harli could hear her name being called frantically by two different voices, one male and one female. The voices rang through her ears like a gunshot blast, her head pounding powerfully when she deciphered the male as Daryl. But there was no time for that now. The two girls locked against each other and tried to gain the upper hand.

A rush of cool air ran across Harli's skin and she knew she had finally wrestled Felicia outside, the sharp feeling of gravel rolling against her arms. She and Felicia wrestled around on the ground more, fists and knees being knocked into each other's bodies. More shouts echoed through the air outside as the crowd followed in their suit, hollering once Harli's knuckles broke Felicia's thick bottom lip. Felicia's eyes squeezed shut and her jaw tensed tightly, blood rolling down the corner of her mouth from a tooth being knocked loose.

Felicia's body lurched upwards and Harli's body went with it, rocks digging into her elbows and knees as they scraped across the gravel. A boot rammed hard into Harli's ribs and her body immediately crunched into the fetal position. Felicia smiled smugly down at Harli and kicked her boot out again, the heel of it digging harshly into Harli's exposed side. Harli let out a shout and her hand pressed tightly against the newly damaged spot in hopes it would dull the pain.

Another shout out for Harli's name caused Felicia to look over her shoulder at the male voice, and as she was briefly distracted, Harli struggled to her feet. With a wobble, she heaved in a deep breath and her shaky hand balled into a fist, Harli's green eyes narrowing when Felicia turned back around to face her.

Harli's fist plunged into Felicia's bony cheek, Harli's knuckle skin cracking upon impact. Felicia fell to the ground and gasped, a low groan rolling out from her lips face down in the dirt. Her shaky fingers balled a handful of gravel, but she made no attempt to hurry to her feet anytime to face Harli again. Harli stood above her, her chest pumping and her bloody knuckles trembling from pain and adrenaline.

"Get on the ground!" A loud, demanding voice shouted, but Harli's mind didn't register fast enough when her eyes soon saw most of the crowd hurrying back into the bar. Blue and red lights flickered off the windows of Marty's bar as the faces stared out at all the commotion that she and Felicia caused.

"Put your hands in the air, now!" Another voice called, and as Harli slowly raised her shaky hands into the air, her head turned around her shoulder.

Harli's eyes squinted when an intensely bright light shined on her face and a pair of figures rushed towards her. A pair of rough hands latched onto her arms and before she knew it, her face slammed up against a hard, steel surface. She let out a sharp hiss and her eyes searched around her desperately, the bright red and blue lights atop the car instantly giving her a splitting headache.

Tight, cold restraints wrapped themselves around Harli's wrists behind her back, the pain of her barely healed, fractured wrist caused tears to well up in her eyes.

"You're under arrest!"


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Anyone notice that I put Andrea in the story last chapter? Lol**

**Anyways, I'm trying to keep up with the updates in a timely manner. My summer has been quite busy as of lately, and along with writing my other stories, it's been tough to keep up! But with this being my more popular one at the moment, it takes top priority.**

**Oh yeah... and I'm in the works on a The Boondock Saints fanfiction ;) just want to let you guys know that.**

Harli rubbed her face tiredly, the cold air of her holding cell biting roughly against her skin. She leaned her head back on the white brick wall behind her and closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. Her cheeks throbbed from the bar brawl she had gotten into at Marty's, a headache lingering in her head annoyingly.

She had been sitting in a sobering cell for what she assumed was about for hours. Every now and then a jail officer would come in and check on her and tell her the status of her whereabouts in the system. But it had been at least two hours since she last spoke to an officer.

Harli felt scared. It was the first time ever, in her life, that she had been arrested. All the procedures it took to get through the system were absolutely horrid in her eyes. Getting fingerprinted, mug shot, and even getting searched by a female office made her uncomfortable. Now she had to sit in a concrete cell by herself and think about what she did like she was some sort of child. That was one thing she learned while she was in jail, it was just like being punished like a kid again and sitting in big girl time out.

A sharp scream managed to make it through the thick glass of the windows in front of Harli and she looked through, seeing a few officers struggling with an irate female. She thrashed and screamed profanities at them, even trying to bite one male officer in the arm. The officers threw her down in a restraint chair and strapped her down, one placing a spit mask over her face so she couldn't do anymore damage. Once she was properly restrained, one officer wheeled her down a hallway and out of Harli's sight.

Harli was happy that she wasn't like that when she showed up.

She sighed again and rubbed her sore wrists from the handcuffs that greedily wrapped and tightened themselves around her wrist. The man who had arrested her was spitting off hellfire about how she had some relation to the Dixon's and it wasn't a surprise she was getting arrested. Harli didn't know what he was talking about. But once she arrived at the jail, the officer started to spread rumors and she got a few nasty glares, maybe a few rough treatments here and there, while she was being processed.

Dismissing those thoughts, Harli looked towards the door when she heard it slide open, seeing a smaller blonde, female officer stepping in.

"Ms. Waldgrave, your bail has been paid for, you're free to go."

"What?" Harli asked a bit confused and she stood to her feet easily, now sober from the alcohol that left her stomach, "By who?"

"I'm not entailed to say. But come with me so we can get your up and out of here." The small officer waved for her to follow. Harli hesitated, but then stepped forward and the officer grabbed her arm to cautiously help her over to the departure window.

The male officer behind the window gave Harli an odd look, but ultimately began to return whatever things she had on her when she was processed. There wasn't much there, only Harli's cell phone, her cowboy boots, and her mother's old necklace.

Harli quickly slipped on her boots and tied her mother's necklace around her neck, grabbing her cell phone and stuffing it into her back pocket. The female officer led Harli out through three doors operated by the man behind the window, the doors slowly opening to let the women pass. Once they were all open, Harli and the officer walked on through and in the waiting room of the jail, a rush of warm air touched at her skin. She shivered and rubbed her arms, not paying attention as she stared around the room to look for any familiar faces she knew. She gasped when she almost ran into the back of the female officer, the officer tossing Harli a confused look.

"I don't see anyone I know out here..." Harli said to her and the female officer shook her head,

"I don't know what to tell you ma'am. All I know is that you were bailed out." With that, the female officer turned around to return to her duties.

Harli rubbed her aching forehead and blew out a held breath, looking at her phone and noticing it had been turned off. She held down the power button and it's powered on greeting glared back at her. As her phone was powering on, Harli walked through the double doors to the jail outside, hearing nothing but silence. Compare to the rambunctious, loud innards of the jail, the silence actually felt blissful for once in her ears.

"This dumb jail never knew how to get their people out fast enough." Harli heard a voice call from the parking lot, and as she looked over, her eyes widened.

There stood none other than Daryl Dixon leaning on the side of his baby blue Ford.

"Daryl?" Harli said his name a bit confused and walked towards him, looking around the empty parking lot as if someone else she knew was going to pop up. It was as if it were a joke, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the one that bailed your ass out." He pouted and shoved off the side of the truck, uncrossing his arms and stepping towards her, "That so hard to believe?"

"No uh..." Harli shook her head, stammering, "I just didn't think you were here for _me_."

"Well I am. Your brother and Red were too damn drunk to come down here so I felt obligated to."

"Obligated?" Harli mumbled under her breath, but Daryl didn't hear her and continued,

"I owe you... so get in the truck. I'll take you home." Daryl walked around the front of his old trusty pickup to get into the driver's seat. Harli rubbed her arm and looked over her shoulder at the jail, her gaze falling back on the truck. Daryl looked over the top of the cab, narrowing his eyes as she walked slowly towards the Ford.

"What about Felicia?" Harli asked curiously as she got into the truck. Daryl looked over at her and scoffed, his hand pressing the key into the ignition,

"Let that bitch rot in there. I know she's the one that started the whole thing."

Harli heard the rumble of the engine pull to life once he twisted the key, the body vibrating for a couple moments before straightening out. Daryl shoved it into first gear and pulled out of the parking lot back towards town. Harli took a look at the old clock on the dash, seeing it to be about two o'clock in the morning. She grumbled to herself and leaned the back of her head on the seat, closing her eyes and feeling the warm breeze of early morning sift through her hair. It made her shiver once again and she crossed her arms over chest, her eyes darting forward to stare out the windshield.

Daryl looked over at Harli briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. He wasn't fully sober yet and neither was he drunk, so he had to keep a good, steady eye on the road to avoid going to jail himself. His eyes glazed over the bruises forming on her face from the obvious fight she had been in, making his hand tighten around the wheel of his vehicle. He hadn't blatantly watched the fight, only caught glimpses here and there with the crowd in the way. But when he saw the cop lights wheeling around outside once the brawl had ended up in the street, he knew Harli was in bad trouble. The cops in his town didn't like Marty's bar in particular because of all the fights and whatnot that always took place, so they constantly kept close just in case they could have a chance to fill their quota.

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, his loosened his grip around the steering wheel and cleared his throat, "You doin' alright over there?"

"Yeah..." Harli said quietly in reply and her green eyes stared over at him, "Just really tired."

"I bet." Daryl nodded and began to chew on the inside of his cheek, something he always did when he was anxious or nervous, "Face don't look like it feels too good."

"It's alright... I've had worse."

"Never thought of you much of a fightin' type." Daryl said with a hint of amusement and Harli couldn't help but smile lightly,

"I try not to be... but whenever I get down to drinking it usually happens somehow. That's why I try to stay away from alcohol."

"You seemed all of happy to me."

"Depends on what I drink." Harli rubbed her face, flinching when the palm of her hand struck a bruise, "If I'm instigated it's a different story... or if I drink tequila. I hear tequila turns the girls in my family into mean bitches."

"I'll be sure to keep that away from you then." Daryl smirked to himself and Harli did too,

"I've never been arrested before. It was kind of scary."

"_Never_?" Daryl asked with a raised eyebrow, somewhat stunned, "Never in your life?"

"No. Why's that so hard to believe?" She looked over at him and he shook his head,

"It's not that... just you bein' your daddy's daughter and everythin'..."

"I get it..." Harli nodded and looked back through the windshield, "I may be my father's daughter but I'm not like him at all."

"I know that." Daryl nodded and met her green eyed gaze briefly, "I've just never met someone who's never been arrested, is foreign to me."

"How many times have you been arrested?" Harli asked curiously and Daryl stared abck at the road, bitting on his bottom lip to contemplate.

"I don't know..." Daryl shook his head and rested his free arm on the window frame of his door, "More than I can count... I guess."

"How old were you when it first happened?"

"I was fifteen."

"Jeez..." Harli's brow furrowed and she leaned closer to him, "What was it for?"

"Rather not talk about it." Daryl threw her a wary glance to her from his striking blue eyes, "Rather not talk 'bout _any_ of it. Those times ain't nothin' I'm proud of."

"I'm just asking... the cops that arrested me were pretty ornery because they've seen me with you a lot." Harli looked to her wrists and began rubbing at the black bruises that formed around her skin.

"Don't worry 'bout those assholes..." Daryl shook his head and immediately became annoyed, "They just don't got better time on their hands than to harass a little girl. The cops, they don't like us Dixon's in this town, specially Merle. He's been in the joint more times than you can count on all your fingers and toes. Them pigs don't pay too kindly to people that hang around us 'cause they think you're all trouble."

Daryl then looked over at Harli, seeing the pout on her lips as she stared down at her wrists. He looked down at them and right on cue, a street light illuminated the cab of the truck just enough to where he could see her bruises. He huffed and shook his head, returning his eyes to the roadway, "Goddamn, those pigs are assholes."

The rest of the car ride was quiet amongst the two, Daryl doing his best to stay steady in his driving and get Harli home in a timely fashion. Out of the corner of his eyes every now and then, he could see Harli nodding off against the doorframe, her green eyes fluttering in the battle to stay awake and to go asleep. He only drove a few miles faster over the speed limit, praying that there were no cops in the shadows particularly looking for his blue Ford. Daryl then thanked the Lord when Harli's black Camaro came into sight, his eyes beginning to get heavy from his buzzed state.

Daryl pulled up to the curb right in front of her house and killed the engine, sighing and rubbing a hand down his face. His bloodshot eyes stared over at Harli and his rough hand pressed against his shoulder when he noticed she finally went to sleep. His arm shook her softly and his lips mumbled her name, but no answer or stir came from her body. She was dead asleep.

Cursing under his breath, Daryl quiet pushed open his door and shut it, walking around the nose of his truck to the passenger's door. It squealed in protest to being open, Daryl ignoring it and only keeping his eyes on Harli's unconscious state. He gave her another few shakes, and upon not seeing her budge again, he sighed through his nose and put out his hands. He wiggled them under her shoulders, the other sliding under the back of her knees, and slowly, he slid her out of the truck in his arms.

The scent that wafted off her body made him slightly lose his balance and his feet stumbled to gain back control. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and cursed himself once again when her delightful scent carried itself back into his head. His original plan failed.

Shutting the door to his truck with his body, Daryl carried her surprisingly light weight barely without an effort towards her porch. He thanked her for the porch light being on, his drunk legs carrying him up the steps and to the door. But he pouted when the door turned without any objection to his hand, "Think this damn girl would've learned to lock her door by now..."

Stepping inside, the darkness of her house consumed Daryl's eyesight and he stopped to stand while his eyes acclimated. From the porch light in the doorway, he could see the serene look on her face as she slumbered in his strong arms. His eyes shifted to her rosy lips, a stubborn lump rolling down his throat at their sight. The memories of the fourth of July rambled on in his head, the feel of her lips on his almost made him drop her. They were so tender, so sweet with the light taste of whiskey as they pressed themselves against his. He wished so badly to feel them again. To feel them on his lips with the same taste she had left him with that night.

But now wasn't the time for that, no matter how much he wanted it.

Daryl carried onto her bedroom, careful of the walls around him so she didn't bump her head of feet. He shoved open the door and pushed inside, almost overwhelmed at the vast fragrances that consumed his nose. Again, he shook his head and moved towards her bedside, circling her around so her head faced the headboards of her large bed. He lied her down softly, sliding his arm to the back of her neck so her head wouldn't dip between her shoulders. He rested her entirely body now, moving to her feet where he stripped off her boots and tossed them to the floor. Grabbing up a blanket sitting on the hope chest at the end of her bed, he unfolded it and tossed it over her body, resting the edge just above her chest for a more comfortable warmth.

He stood over her for a moment, staring at her oddly beautiful face. He never really categorized a woman as beautiful before, the word was just as foreign to him as a city was to his backwoodsman nature. His fingers had the attempts to touch her face, but he withdrew them quickly before they had a chance to. The darkness in her room managed to muddle the bruises on her face, giving Daryl the sense that he was staring at her regular, untouched complexion.

With a nod of completeness to himself, Daryl moved back towards her bedroom door and shut it quietly behind him. His boots treaded lightly on the old wood floors of her house, his body making its way back into the living room. He heard a few small clicks coming from the corner of the room, knowing it was Gumbo giving a wary notion that he was present in the house. Daryl dismissed him and walked to the open front door, stopping, and grabbing onto the handle.

Daryl squeezed his eyes shut and growled in his throat, feeling an intense headache slam up against the front of his skull. It knocked him off balance for a moment and he swayed where he stood, hissing quietly under his breath. Staring out at his Ford on the street, his vision blurred and the room around him began to spin. It was always the keen side effects of the hangover that didn't follow too far behind in the head aches wake.

Daryl looked back at the large couch sitting next to him, the cushions looking promising as they enticed his tired eyes.

Slowly, he walked towards it and plopped himself down on the incredibly comfortable cushions. His head leaned back on the couch and he let out a sigh of sudden relief, not being able to stop a blissful groan in his throat. The tassels of a blanket tickled at the back of his neck and his hand unconsciously grabbed it and pulled it over his body. With that, his chest felt sideways onto the couch where his head landed inexplicably on a pillow.

'_I only sleep a couple hours, then go home.' _Daryl nodded at his thoughts and grunted, _'She won't mind...'_

**.:o:.**

Even though the black curtains in the window were shut, the sun still managed to harshly glare through the black threads.

Harli squeezed her eyes shut and grumbled, rolling over on the soft surface below her and pressing her face into the fluffy mass under her head. Her fingers brushed over the soft covers and she cracked her eyes open upon realizing what she lied on.

Her long leg sprawled out from under the blanket on her body, her disheveled head leaning up. Her tired eyes stared down at the old blanket on her body, noting that it was the one her grandmother made for her a few years prior. Slowly, her gaze surfaced around the room as she took it in, finally registering that it was her room she lied in, on her bed, under her blanket. Her fingers clawed through her muddled brown hair, a few strands getting caught on her fingers in a tangle. Dismissing the minor pain in her scalp, she wheeled her legs over the side of the bed and hunched over while burying her face into her rubbing hands.

"Ugh..." She breathed through her fingers and finally slapped her hands on her knees, taking one last look around her bedroom.

'_How the hell did I get in here?'_ She asked herself silently, not remembering waking up in Daryl's truck to find her way into her bed.

_Daryl_. Harli blushed and her muscles tightened at the thought of him carrying her into her bedroom while she slumbered. That was the only way she could've gotten into her bed, unless she was so tired she couldn't remember walking. But she couldn't help but tingle at the thought of his strong arms carrying her in carefully and quietly. Her hand ran over the goose bumps on her arms and she closed her eyes to calm her thoughts and take a deep breath.

Rising to her feet, Harli tossed on a fresh set of clothes and stared at herself in the mirror, making a note in her head that she had to take a shower as soon as she got some food into her griping stomach. She rubbed her hands against her thighs and pulled open her bedroom door, tiredly stepping down the hallway in into the living room.

She then halted when she saw Daryl lying on her couch, him being entirely passed out on it with a blanket tangled about his body. She gulped and took a couple steps back into the hallway, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. He _did_ carry her into the house and to her bed. He must've been too tired to make the drive home from staying up all night and waiting for her bail to be set. She smiled at the thought of it and blushed lightly, '_How cute.'_

Harli tugged at the booty shorts she was in and retreated to her bedroom to change into something more appropriate. But as she sifted through her room, she noticed most of her summer clothing was dirty and her lips sputtered. With a defeated sigh, she moved to her dresser and went with the next best thing. Leave it to this moment to be the day she didn't have the appropriate clothes to wear around _Daryl_ of all people.

The snap of her black yoga pants echoed throughout her room and she sighed heavily, staring shallowly in the mirror. She tossed on a large shirt that draped down one shoulder and hung all the way down her back, barely covering her rear end. Deeming it fit to step foot back into the living room, Harli walked back through her bedroom door, glancing at Daryl as she walked through the largest space of the house. Smiling to herself, her bare feet carried her almost inaudibly into the kitchen where she began to pull out pots and pans to begin breakfast.

Now that Daryl was still in the house, she had an obligation to make him breakfast.

Daryl's nose pricked and tingled at the sharp smell that whirled throughout the room, his dry tongue instantly watered at the delight. His blue eyes pried open and upon seeing a glare of light, they squeezed shut again. Like a hammer pounding a nail, the withstanding headache to his looming hangover hit him like a bus. His fingers pressed into his eyes as hard as he could without losing them in the back of his skull.

But then that mouthwatering scent hit his nose hard again and somewhat calmed his cringing headache. He leaned up, his mind spinning with vertigo as his face buried itself in his hands. The overgrown scruff on his chin and jaw scratched annoyingly against his skin, his eyes beginning to burn with tiredness once again. With a deep sigh, he stood to his feet and swayed while walking towards the kitchen where the smell was coming from.

Daryl leaned on the wall in the kitchen and stopped, seeing Harli standing with her back to him and hovering over the oven. Her hands moved flawlessly with a spatula, back and forth throughout the skillet on the range. His teeth grinded when he noticed the tight black leggings clasped desperately to her long legs as she stood. And as she lifted her arm up to scratch an obvious itch on her head, her plump bottom peeked out from underneath and he relished in its sight.

"Oh jeez!" The shirt plopped back down to its original position and Daryl stared back into Harli's startled green eyes, "Seriously... you gotta stop sneaking up behind me..."

"S-sorry..." Daryl apologized and avoided her gaze, "I just woke up... came in to see what that smell was."

"I was hoping I wasn't making too much of a racket. Sorry if I woke you..."

"Ain't no problem..." Daryl shook his head and rubbed his face as he sat down in a chair at the table, "Needed to wake up sooner or later."

"Well alright... breakfast is almost ready." Harli turned back to the food sizzling in the pan and Daryl stared at her back again, hoping to catch another glimpse of the round gift she had behind her.

"You didn't have to cook for me..."

"I wanted to." Harli smiled over the food as it cooked, "Whenever I have guests its always an obligation of mine... it always has been."

Daryl knew that arguing with her would be like trying to argue with a brick wall, so he shut his mouth and tapped his fingers on the table. He saw a flash of orange and looked over, seeing Nacho's head halfway peering over the table at him in a nasty kitty glare. Daryl narrowed his eyes at the cat, giving off his notorious, nasty Dixon glare in hopes that it would dismiss the feline, but he stood strong. Nacho's dull green eyes slowly blinked as he sat in the chair, the two squaring off in a stare battle to offset one another.

"Don't mind him..." Harli broke the stare-off and shoved Nacho out of the other chair, "He can get a bit jealous sometimes."

Daryl stared at the plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and a fresh cup of coffee that was set before him. He tossed another nasty glare at Nacho, who only perked up his tail highly and walked away, "Jealous of what?"

"He doesn't like it when other people hang around me too much. It draws my attention away from him." She laughed under her breath and set her own plate down on the table, sitting herself down promptly, "He's a very odd cat."

"Yeah, I can tell." Daryl scoffed while grabbing a fork and digging hungrily into his food.

After eating, Harli gathered up all the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher, locking it up tight and turning it on.

With his hangover almost gone, Daryl stood to his feet and stretched his aching body, letting out a deep sigh and leaning in the back of the chair.

"Come on, I wanted to show you something." Harli said and Daryl opened his eyes, seeing her standing halfway through the slider glass door in front of him. Curiously, he got to his feet and followed after her down the steps of the back porch and towards the shed.

Harli opened it and held the padlock in her hand loosely, Daryl eyeing the beautiful Shovelhead now staring back at him. It was not off the makeshift stand in the depths of the small building, standing proudly on its own kickstand with its headlight turned to greet the two. There were no oil pans strung about, no tools that lied on the ground below it, just the heavy body of the old Harley Davidson.

"It's finally fixed and finished up. It's idling better than before and there's just one thing left..." Harli smiled and looked over at Daryl as his eyes moved to meet hers, "A test drive."

"How come you didn't do it?" Daryl asked and Harli shook her head, her gaze falling back on the hog,

"It's too heavy for me... and... I'd rather you do it."

Daryl stepped towards the old Shovelhead and grabbed onto the handlebar, turning the front wheel to straighten it out. Once he turned his face to say something to Harli, he noticed she had walked off to the wooden gate on the side of her house and opened it. She smiled back at him and waved her hand to come forth, so Daryl looked back at the bike with a bit of hesitation. This was his first motorcycle ever. _His_ motorcycle.

Daryl tossed his leg over the black seat and sat down on it, shifting himself uncomfortably to figure out how he should sit. Once finding a good position, Daryl gripped on hand on the handlebar and pulled in the clutch with his fingers. He leaned over the side and pulled out the kick start, placing his boot down on it and giving it a tremendous kick.

The V-Twin motor of the Harley exploded to life, sending immediate, intense shivers surging throughout his entire body. Daryl took a deep breath and wrapped his other hand around the free handlebar, revving the accelerator and hearing the bike scream livelier. He cracked his neck and looked over the side once again, shoving the kickstand to its standby position and ramming his foot down on the gear shift, hearing it click into first gear. Slowly and steadily, he synced up the accelerator with the clutch and the bike slowly moved forward, Daryl turning the handlebars to direct it outside the shed. It pushed smoothly under his hands and he maneuvered it through the gate Harli stood by without a hinge.

Daryl stopped on the roadway and looked over his shoulder at Harli, seeing her pass through the gate and shut it behind her. She walked up with a bright smile, her eyes glazing over her mechanical handiwork and then they found Daryl's. Daryl nodded towards the back seat, revving the engine, "Hop on?"

"What?" Harli asked a bit confused and her smile dropped. Daryl's mouth tugged into a small smile,

"You deserve goin' on a ride with that bike you practically built, come on!"

"I can't!" Harli pouted and shook her head, looking down at her feet and curling her toes, "I don't have the proper attire!"

"Don't worry about it! We're just gonna go 'round the block!" He called back and upon seeing the nervousness, let alone hesitation in her eyes, he pulled his hand off the accelerator and grabbed her arm, "Come on, just trust me!"

Harli gulped and stared into his blue eyes as he tugged at her arm softly, Harli giving into the charm and standing closer to him. Her hands shakily grabbed onto his broad shoulders and she stopped for a moment, half thinking her decision. But with a deep breath, her leg swung over the back part of the seat and she planted herself, feeling the Harley's suspension lightly dip under her weight. Once her bottom hit the seat, the vibrations from the motor sky rocketed through her spine, causing her body to spark like electricity. It was absolutely riveting.

"Hang on!" Daryl called from over his shoulder and revved the engine once again.

Once the bike began to slide forward, Harli placed her hands around Daryl's waist uncomfortably. She shifted herself in the seat and looked at the back of his head, waiting for some kind of response to her hands touching his waist. Daryl's head only looked both ways down the street before heading off, his foot connecting with the shifter once the RPM's revved high. Harli's feet curled around the pegs that they sat on, her hands gripping tighter to the flaps of his sleeveless shirt as they were off.

The wind caressed her hair gingerly as they sped down the road, Daryl maneuvering the bike flawlessly along the roadway. His short brown hair flickered against his face as they went, his eyes darting to and from their surroundings to make sure everyone was safe. Harli was on the bike with him, without shoes or proper riding wear, including a helmet, and he wanted to be extra careful to spare her any harm. He looked over his shoulder at her and their eyes met for a moment, Daryl smiling at her wild, free eyes as he turned back to the road in front of him.

Harli closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, smelling Daryl's musky scent that careened off him in the wind. She shuttered from both it and the bikes motor again, not being able to get enough of either. Her hands relaxed around his waist, her fingers lazily clasped together comfortably. Finally she was comfortable. The bike was riding immaculately because of her own two hands. And sooner than she knew it, both she and Daryl would be on the long road ahead straight to Sturgis, North Dakota.

Only three more days...


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: DON'T HATE ME YOU GUYS.**

**I have a legitimate reason for not updating these past couple weeks. I had a major brainfart on this chapter AND a very close friend of mine came to visit from out of state for a week and I didn't want to be rude being on my laptop for hours on end.**

**DID EVERYONE SEE THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 4 TRAILER THAT DEBUTED LAST WEEK!? OMFG IF YOU DIDN'T GO WATCH IT NOW IT HAD SEX WITH MY EYES.**

**That being said, enjoy the chapter :)**

The blaring engine of Daryl's Shovelhead bounced and echoed off the trees all around his property. Daryl checked the saddlebags, left and right, making sure they were packed properly before his journey began. A cigarette dangled from his lips; smoke curling up in the air above his face as he breathed. He only enjoyed the nicotine comfort of a cigarette every now and then to relieve his nerves or excitement in the time being. He never wanted to get too attached to the cancer sticks; they were all the reason why his mother was now six feet under her grave stone.

Taking one last inhale of the nicotine, Daryl breathed it out slowly and flicked it to the ground, smashing it into the concrete of his driveway with the tip of his boot. He craned his neck and grabbed up a bandana from the handlebar of the Shovelhead's handlebar. His fingers secured it around his forehead and he then slid his tone arms through the holes of his old bikers vest. The weathered black leather cooled his warming skin from the sun high in the sky. As his eyes closed in a blink, he envisioned the dirty angel wings situated on his back.

He let out a held breath slowly, his heart beginning to quicken at the thought of his adventures ahead. Finally, he was finally going to Sturgis on his _own_ motorcycle.

Daryl's head turned at the sound of the large shop door opening, seeing Merle eyeing him from its shaded depths. Daryl straightened himself out when Merle approached slowly, his piercing eyes glazing over the faded finish of the Harley Davidson. Merle's tongue licked over his cracked lips as he stopped, his hands resting on his thin hips.

"You leavin' here soon? A bit early for that." Merle's raspy voice asked and his eyes squinted at Daryl as he stared at his little brother.

"Have to." Daryl replied plainly with a light shake of his head. Merle narrowed his eyes,

"What you gotta go get?" He asked and tilted his head, observing Daryl's slightly nervous demeanor, "Hittin' the store or somethin'?"

"No..." Daryl shook his head again and looked down at his motorcycle, "Gonna go... pick up Harli."

"Waldgrave again, huh?" Merle scoffed and glared at Daryl, "That mechanic pussy of yours sure got you by the balls now, don't she? You walkin' round with her like that lost mutt of yours."

"Shut the hell up Merle..." Daryl rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth while turning around, "I told you, it ain't like that!"

"The hell it ain't!" Merle rushed after Daryl and whirled around him, stopping Daryl in his tracks. Merle snarled at his little brother, "Ever since that little bitch got speared you've been attached to her hip neglectin' everythin' around you! You're work, the boys, and now me!"

"I didn't neglect nothin'!" Daryl barked back in attempts to defend himself, "I've been tryin' to help her 'cause she ain't got nobody else to help her do it!"

"Well ain't you just some angel hoverin' over her shoulder!? What the fuck happened to my baby brother? You's turnin' into her little bitch!"

"I ain't nobody's bitch..." Daryl leaned forward, breathing his words in warning to his brother to watch what he said. But Merle was unfazed by his deadly words and took it more of a challenge.

"The hell you ain't. She's just puttin' on a show for you, boy. She makes you nice little dinners, acts nice and innocent, and even gives you a _goddamn _motorcycle." Merle paused for a moment, gauging Daryl's anxious demeanor before he continued, "She's tryin' to do somethin' to ya, boy. There's not one girl in this fuckin' universe that acts like that and is considered a saint. She wants somethin' from you, will obviously do anything to get it-."

"She ain't like that Merle-!"

"The hell she ain't!" Merle pressed Daryl back from moving past him and Daryl balled his fists against his legs, "I see how cute and comfy you're gettin' with her, but I'm warnin' you baby brother, get away from her while you can. She's just goin' to suck you dry."

Daryl's jaw tightened as he stared into Merle's blue eyes, seeing them twinkle with some sort of wickedness. He knew exactly what Merle was doing; what Merle wanted to gain. He didn't want Daryl to become engulfed in a relationship, no matter what type of relationship that may be. Merle didn't want to lose his drinking buddy, his bar buddy, _his fucking fighting buddy_, and his only source of real income for his business.

"I see what you're doin' Merle." Daryl's teeth grinded together sorely and he narrowed his eyes at his big brother, "You're flat out fuckin' _jealous."_

Slowly, a smile sprouted on Merle's thin face and he looked off into the forest. He chuckled under his breath and Daryl watched him carefully as he looked back at him, "What the hell do I gotta be jealous of? I tight little piece of pussy that you can't wait to break a headboard with so she can dig your hole like every other little whore that passes your way?"

"You're jealous 'cause she actually gives a damn about me."

"That's so adorable." Merle continued to laugh and Daryl brushed off his masked amusement,

"Somethin' you never did. Somethin' ya'll will never do it your entire, pathetic life!" Daryl internally smiled at the sight of Merle's face as soon as his amusement faded. His older brother's face turned dark,

"Somethin' I never did, huh?" Merle's hands immediately latched onto Daryl's vest and Merle yanked him towards him, their eyes now locked and noses almost touching, "Ain't nobody gonna love you like I do, little brother!"

"You keep tellin' yourself that." Daryl shoved Merle away and fixed his biker's vest. Merle's blood boiled under his skin and his cheeks began to redden in anger. He breathed hard and pointed at Daryl,

"Don't you ever put your hands on me again, boy. I don't want to see your fuckin' face ridin' with me or the Savage Sons!"

"Good, I wasn't plannin' on it anyways." Daryl whirled around towards his awaiting motorcycle, "One batch of news I don't have to try to break to you easily."

"You better watch that bitch at Sturgis, Daryl!" Merle called to him and Daryl stopped, turning hallway to face his older brother, "Sometimes pretty little girls like her can get... _overwhelmed_ by the festivities. She get scooped right out of your fingers when you least expect it."

"You try anything, Merle, I swear I'll make you swallow your teeth." Daryl warned and broke their daring gazes at one another.

Swinging his leg over the large padded seat of his Shovelhead, Daryl revved the engine and smacked his boot down on the gear shift. It jumped into first and he revved it a few times again, staring Merle down as he let out the clutch. The bike dove forward and he yanked back on the accelerator, the bike speeding forward past Merle as quickly as Daryl could make it.

The Harley Davidson rolled down the desolate roadway of the backwoods of Waleska, Daryl's hair flickering from behind the band of his banana. His hand angrily shook around the handlebar of his left grip; the only thing his mind now had set on was punching Merle in his drugged-out face.

What a way to start out his weeklong trip.

**.:o:.**

"Well, your stomach seemed to heal up just fine. I did a quick x-ray of your wrist and that healed up great, too but... it seems a bit bruised around the wrist. Did you do anything to cause the bruise?" Dr. Ficher looked questioningly from the x-ray on the wall at Harli, who sat on the medical table in the room.

"No uh... I've been working on a personal project motorcycle and that's about it." Harli said while avoiding Ficher's dark eyed gaze. She only left out the tiny part that she had gotten in a brawl with Felicia Garwood and used her healing hand to put the beat down on her.

"Alright then... just stay away from using it too much and in about a week it should be completely healed." Ficher darted down a few words on Harli's medical documents with the black pen in her hand. Harli watched the female doctor curiously and Ficher then looked back at Harli through her thick glasses, "You're clear for this little road trip you're going on."

"Yes!" Harli shouted and immediately put her hands to her mouth in embarrassment at her loudness. She smiled, "S-sorry... you just have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

"I can imagine." Ficher chuckled to herself under her breath.

Harli rushed out of the hospital and hurried to her black Camaro waiting patiently in a lucky parking spot she had found. While jumping into the driver's seat, the engine burned to life with just a small turn of the ignition. Harli's heart pounded erratically against her chest, her fingers jittery as they slammed the seatbelt into its proper position. Her cheeks burned with soreness from the gleeful smile still plastered on her face and she closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath to calm herself.

Today was the day. Today was _finally_ the day.

Her rusted out car hurried out of the hospital parking lot and descended down the crowded roads of downtown Waleska. Her jittery foot tapped on the board next to the clutch, her eyes dead set on the traffic light above her. As soon as it turned green, she swore she heard the Camaro's tires squeal as it sped off towards its ultimate destination: her humble abode. She weaved around other, much slower vehicles on the roadway. She didn't care if she got pulled over and harassed by the cops, it was totally worth hurrying home to wait for Daryl to show up at her house, pick her up on the back of the motorcycle, and start their trip to the long awaited Sturgis biker rally.

Harli was thrown off guard when she saw the Shovelhead parked on the street right out in front of her house. Daryl sat on it, his arms crossed and his eyes burning as he watched her park the Camaro in the cracked driveway. She took a deep breath and shut off her car, her cheeks heating up at the sight of him. He looked so rugged with the way he looked now; the traditional biker attire that she always had a thing for. She had never seen Daryl sport a thinly wrapped bandana before and it caused her heart to leap into her chest at the sight of it.

She quickly flushed her head of its ill thoughts and stepped out of the Camaro, grabbing up her bag in the process. Her green eyes stared Daryl down, noticing that his jaw was moving in attempts to gnaw at the inside of his cheek. Harli walked up slowly and he looked over at her, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the turmoil in his, "Are you okay?"

"Just fine." Daryl stood up and Harli took a step back away from him because of the infuriated aura circling around his body. He narrowed his eyes,

"Problem?"

"No uh... how long have you been waiting for me?" She asked and walked past him towards the house. Daryl pursued close behind her and shook his head,

"Bout twenty minutes."

"Well you should've called me and told me you were waiting I could've tried to speed things up." She eyed him as he walked through the doorway she held open, and as he moved in, she shut it.

"Ain't no problem. Just needed to cool down anyway." Daryl bit his lip once he realized he just gave her a reason to ask yet another unwanted question.

"Cool down?" Harli raised an eyebrow as she tossed her bag on the kitchen table, "What from?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Well now you just got me curious." Harli took a couple steps towards him and leaned on the couch, "You can tell me anything... you know."

Daryl stared into her green eyes and all his anxiety seemed to fade away to a small sliver. He took a deep breath and tried to avoid her gaze, his mind twisting and turning with deliberation. The balls of his fingers rubbed together nervously as he looked back at her. He always hated how nervous he became around her.

"Me and Merle... we got into this mornin'. We spit some venom... he don't want me ridin' with him to Sturgis."

"Wow... what made you guys get so mad at each other?" She asked a bit worried and he shook his head,

"A bunch of useless, childish shit he brought up. But anyways, it's his problem, not mine. He wants to be an asshole, then let 'em." Daryl then nodded at Harli curiously once his mind was brought back to the task at hand, "What'd your doctor say?"

"I'm good to go." Harli smile and unconsciously rubbed at her wrist, "Just... no more bar fights with this hand."

"You ain't playin' me, are ya?" Daryl raised an eyebrow and Harli rolled her eyes with a small scoff, turning around towards the kitchen table,

"You can call my doctor if you're worried about me lying to you, I don't care!" She waved him off and grabbed at her already packed backpack and another small bag, "Or, we can just get whatever I have packed and get this show on the road already."

"Don't boss me around, woman." Daryl walked forward and grabbed her small duffle and turned back to the front door. Harli smiled and shook her head while hurrying after him, her booted feet jumping off the top of the steps of her porch.

Daryl strapped down her bag full of clean clothes on the back of the large Harley Shovelhead right on top of his own. Harli shouldered her backpack as he made sure everything was situated on the motorcycle before they even tried to take off. Once Daryl nodded at her, Harli returned to her house and bid her farewell to her animals, making sure she gave them treats before she left. Clayton had already promised that he would take care of them while she was gone and agreed to even stay a few nights. But Harli made him pinky promise that he and Candy, who were growing closer, would not play Hanky Panky in her bedroom or even in her entire _house_.

After locking up her house, she placed the keys in her purse and calmly stepped down the steps. Her legs began to grow numb once she heard the rough engine of the Harley explode to life. She wiped her hands on her jean shorts and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she stopped at the motorcycle's side. Her eyes widened with realization and her hand dug deep into her bag, her fingers finding the thick plastic of what she was looking for.

"Here, I got these for you." She said a bit loudly so he could hear her over the engine. His brow furrowed as he grabbed the gift from her hand,

"Sunglasses?"

"Yeah... you were telling me one day that they broke while you were working. So I picked a pair up from the gas station last night." She smiled and placed a hand on his broad shoulder, "Can't ride this bike on such a long ride without them. You might lose an eyeball."

Daryl pulled apart the arms of the Ray Bans and stared at them for a moment before he placed them on his face. He nodded back at her and placed his hands on the handlebars of his Harley, "Thanks."

"No problem." Harli smiled and put her own sunglasses on her face, keeping her bag safely wrapped around her shoulders.

Harli gripped Daryl's shoulders softly with her hands, her leg swinging over the back of the seat. She straddled the black leather and placed both her feet on the back pegs, her back pressing up against the backrest of the seat where their travel bags had been secured. Daryl's blue eyes glazed over her shoulder and Harli met his contact, her head giving a nod to him to let him know that she was ready to go. Daryl looked back in front of him and revved the engine, shudders of pleasure rolling up Harli's spine from the vibrations of the bike. She felt so right being on the back of it, right behind none other than the notorious Daryl Dixon himself. She knew that every girl in the town would be downright jealous of her and she smiled at the thought of it.

The highway wasn't far in front of them and they hit it without a second thought. It was only ten in the afternoon and Harli wanted to leave sooner, but with the hospital being as packed as it was, she only could do so much to speed up the process. Daryl wanted to be in Kansas City, Missouri by nightfall. It was the halfway point between Waleska and Sturgis and if they kept good time they would be there Sunday night. Sturgis started that Monday, August 5th, and went all the way through Sunday the 11th. But depending on Harli's mood, and especially Daryl's, they might only stay for half the week instead of the entire week. Harli knew that Daryl could only take so much from a crowd of strange people for so long before his temper sky rocketed. The last thing Harli wanted was for him to get into a fight. She just wanted both of them to have a good time.

But somehow, trouble always seemed to find them.

As Harli's mind faded from her thoughts, her green eyes unclouded and she finally took a look around her. But as she tried to take in the scenery, she couldn't help but take in the sight of Daryl's body in front of her. A pair of dirty, white angel wings stared back at her. Harli didn't notice his biker vest all at first because she was just so accustomed to his natural look, but seeing them made her smile. She wondered what made him choose a vest with angel wings on the back of it. She even wondered where he had acquired it. Was it a garage sale he happened to pass by? Did he pick it up at one of the local stores downtown? Or was it somehow passed down to him by his father, grandfather, or maybe it was Merle's old one? It made her all the more curious. He didn't seem like the type of man to wear such a thing.

Harli somehow managed to break her mind of what Daryl's muscular back looked like through his vest and tore her eyes away to stare at the scenery around her. It had been so long since she had been down this particular highway that eventually led to Kentucky. Her grandparents, from her mother's side, lived in Madison, Kentucky and she always missed the beauty of the state. But her surroundings reminded her of her old home back with her grandparents.

Thick mixtures of green beach and oak trees mingled together in one giant blur as Daryl accelerated the Shovelhead. Old farmhouses poked out every now and then like they had been playing a quick game of hide and seek with Harli's eyes. Horses, cattle, and goats grazed gracefully amongst each other in the abroad ranches that extended their fences all through the acreage of the family farms. The sky was bright with in its amazing blue color and just at the sight of it immediately reminded her of Daryl's eyes every time he looked at her. And there wasn't even a cloud in sight.

Daryl weaved back and forth throughout the cars that were in his way, half scaring Harli to death when one decided to cut Daryl off and almost cause him to crash. Daryl shouted at her to hold onto him tight, so her arms hastily wrapped tightly around his waist and she didn't bother to watch what he was doing. Harli only closed her eyes and felt the bike moving all over the place, a few profanities being shot out of Daryl's mouth towards the idiotic teenager who had cut him off. She envisioned him flipping the driver off and speeding away like the badass he was. He finally made the all-clear and Harli reopened her eyes to see that everything seemed to be back to normal.

Every time the two passed by a set of fellow bikers, it was biker code that they wave or acknowledge one another, no matter what type of two-wheeled vehicles they rode. Harli smiled at all the friendly motorcycle enthusiasts they passed. She sure hoped that everyone was like that at Sturgis. She sure could use a break from the many assholes that lived in Waleska that were either sex hungry pigs or just straight up douchebags that didn't have anything better to do but pester Harli because she had been somewhat affiliated with Daryl Dixon.

In less than an hour, Harli saw the sign greeting them into Tennessee.

**.:o:.**

Harli skin was cold to the touch from the freezing night air of Missouri. She stared at the huge lights of Kansas City as they passed through the streets, her eyes looking for a good motel for them to stay at for the night. But Daryl took the initiative to pick a Motel 6 off next to the highway on the outskirts of town. He didn't want to search all morning for the highway and wanted to get a head start on the morning if they possibly could. Other than taking time to find somewhere to eat for breakfast, it wouldn't be entirely a big problem.

Daryl shut off the old Shovelhead and Harli was the first to get off, her cramped legs barely being able to hold her up. She groaned as she stretched her back and legs, her lungs sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Daryl stepped off next and hardly needed to stretch himself of any aches or soreness, his eyes staring at Harli as she stretched herself out.

"God damn you might as well do one of those dumb yoga-whatever's right here in the parking lot."

"Oh shush." Harli pouted back at him and relaxed her body with the swing of her arms, "Why don't you ride bitch for almost twelve hours straight and then tell me how wonderful your body feels."

"I wouldn't ride bitch even if I was dead."

"Yeah... that's what I thought." Harli smirked smugly and crossed her arms while Daryl scoffed. He pushed past her and walked towards the front office of the motel, his body turning around so he could walk backward.

"You stay there while I go get us some rooms and stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, yeah... I got it!" Harli called back to him and he whirled back around, marching towards the office of the motel.

Daryl walked through the ghostly office and spotted the manager sitting at the front desk. He leaned back in the office chair with a newspaper set in his hands, his dark eyes scanning its contents. Once he heard Daryl's boots on the tiled floor making way towards him, he lowered the paper and stood to his feet, "Hello sir, may I help you?"

"Wanna get two rooms." Daryl reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, flipping through a few bills in its contents.

"Single beds or...?" The Indian man looked past Daryl, noticing Harli outside sitting on the bike and messing with her phones, "Double? You and your girlfriend get in a fight or something?"

Daryl looked over his shoulder at Harli and shook his head, "No-I mean- she ain't my woman we're just travelin' together."

"Hm... alright then. Two rooms it is." The Indian manager started to type in on his computer and Daryl looked over his shoulder at Harli once more, seeing her look up at him and smile.

He nodded back at her and just before he returned his attention to the man behind the desk, something caught his eye. His blue eyes narrowed at a group of men hanging out by one of the rooms, their eyes glued to an unsuspecting Harli. A couple laughed at the others words as he sat on a bicycle, their tongues wetting their lips. Daryl knew exactly what kind of men they were just by the look of them. They were a trio of no good looters and drug dealers.

Daryl's jaw tightened and he immediately looked back at the man behind the desk, "You know what? Make that one room with double beds."

"I'm booked up on those. But I got one single bed and a futon left in room twenty three."

"Fine, I'll take that then."

After exchanging his information with the clerk and paying for the room, Daryl stepped back outside into the cold air. He glared nastily back at the dealers watching his moves as he made his way towards Harli. Once Daryl got close enough, Harli stepped off the bike and rubbed her cold arms, "So where are our rooms?"

"I only got one for _us_." Daryl replied and unstrapped the bags from the back of the bike. Harli's heart jolted in her chest and her mouth struggled to form words, thankfully unnoticed to Daryl's ears.

"One room...?" She asked and Daryl nodded while shouldering both his and her bags,

"Those guys over there keep eyein' you like some piece of meat. This don't seem like the safest part of town so you'll be stayin' close to me in _one_ room so they don't fuck with you in your own." Daryl walked up to her and Harli meekly stared at him, "We're in room twenty three... so come on. We got some sleepin' to take care of."

Daryl made sure Harli stayed closed to them as they walked to the room. She could feel the dark eyed stared of the dealers that Daryl had been talking about on her the entire time they walked to the first level room. She began to shiver from the cooler night air while Daryl unlocked the door with a card key, Harli gasping once she entered the room. It was at least fifteen degrees colder inside than it was outside.

"I'd rather sleep outside!" Harli exclaimed as she shut the door behind her, Daryl tossing their bags on the bed and making a beeline towards the air conditioner. He switched on the heat and even shook a little under the cold influence that overtook the room.

"Not even any cooking equipment..." He heard Harli say with much disappointment as she stared around the room. Daryl scoffed,

"What'd you expect? Some high end room with a kitchen and some inside hot tub or somethin'?"

"No... just at least something besides a friggen microwave I could cook with to save us money." She mumbled and sat down on the bed. Her green eyes continued to look around the room until they fell on a large couch, "I gauss that's where I'll be sleeping."

"Hell no." Daryl grabbed up his bag and walked towards the couch. Harli raised an eyebrow,

"What do you mean?"

"You can have that god forsaken bed. You're gonna need it more than I do." Daryl sat down and let out a long breath, his head resting on the back of the couch. Harli rubbed her cold hands across her bare legs and stood up, walking towards the closet.

"Well... here then..." She said and walked over towards him, his eyes opening again as his head lifted to stare at her. She offered him a couple blankets and pillows, "You know... so you don't freeze."

"Yeah, thanks." Daryl stood up and took the blankets and pillows from her. Harli stepped back towards her bag and unzipped it, grabbing up her toothbrush and toothpaste. She then halted when a rather loud snarl erupted from the depths of her belly, her throat keeping down a thick lump that formed inside it.

Harli looked over her shoulder at Daryl, who already took notice to the dying grumble from her stomach, "I asked you if you wanted anything back in Tennessee."

"I wasn't hungry then, really." Harli pouted and rubbed her stomach in attempts to shut it up, "But uh... I guess I am now. I'll go get something from that little café across the street."

"No." Daryl stopped her in her tracks once he stepped in front of her, "I don't want you goin' out there by yourself. Not with those freaks out there waitin' for a chance to see you again. If anything... we'll go together."

"Alright."

Harli and Daryl situated themselves comfortably in the room before leaving to the café for a little while. It was late at night, but not too late for the café to be closed. Daryl only saw one of the dealers, who followed them loosely with his bicycle, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to knock him face first into the concrete. But he promised himself that he wouldn't fight on this trip.

The overly-done up waitress of the small café seated the two at a booth and once they ordered their food, Daryl was annoyed with how bland it tasted.

"I like your cooking better..." He told an amused Harli.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: I feel horrible for making you guys wait so long for an update but I've been ridiculously busy lately. I'm starting school on Monday so I don't know what my writing schedule will look like. Bear with me now, and I'm sorry if this chapter is too short and sucky! I promise it'll be made up within the next couple chapters ;) A special surprise coming soon!**

_Freedom_.

That was the only word that conjured in Harli's mind as both she and Daryl sped down the highway on his old Shovelhead. She was free, here, on the back of this bike. It felt so good. _It felt so right_. She couldn't imagine herself anywhere in that moment.

It was all because of Daryl she was here, on her way to Sturgis. He was the reason why her heart was beating strong. Without him, she would be six feet under rotting away slowly like a flower wasting away in a vase. Harli couldn't express how grateful she was for meeting such a man like him. A man like him, who was broken and pieced back together by crappy glue. Daryl was a rogue in his hometown, someone who very few liked just because of his last name. Merle ruined that reputation for him. But Harli knew that with the right time, Daryl could reverse that if he really wanted. Harli didn't know for sure if he wanted that for himself.

She was willing to help him with that. She was willing to help him with anything. The night before, when they stayed at their hotel, that's all Harli could think about: Daryl Dixon. Every time she came face to face with him, the pit of her stomach would burn with nervousness and flutter with uncertainty. Harli became mentally ill around Daryl, in a good way, and there was no stopping her anymore. He was the one. He was absolutely _the one_.

Harli's arms tightened around Daryl's waist and she leaned forward, staring at the mass amount of scenery passing by them in their wake. Her chocolate brown locks were tied up on the back of her head and she felt the gentle tug of her ponytail whipping behind her. Her green eyes glazed over all they could behind the dim lenses of her Ray Bans. They were almost to Sturgis and a new kind of flora and fauna met them along the way.

Harli had never seen so many pine trees before it felt so foreign. There were masses of them once they entered the lower part of Nebraska and the forestry all around them was super thick. Harli was so used to seeing farm fields and livestock all over the place. But here, in the thickets of the flora, that's all there were: plants. Blue skies shined above them with the sun bearing down on their tan skin, only a few clouds crawling about here and there. Cars and other motorcycles would pass them by, and sometimes Daryl would be doing the passing. But every time they passed a motorcycle, it was biker etiquette 101 to wave at each other and acknowledge their presence.

Harli learned that the atmosphere along the highways up north were a bit chillier than the humid, hot weather in Georgia. Sooner or later, Harli found herself wearing Daryl's coat when he offered it to her at a quick stop for gas. Him being a man and all, he didn't need a jacket. All he needed was his sleeveless shirt and his angel winged biker vest.

_Welcome South Dakota_

Finally they had arrived and it wouldn't be too much longer before they rolled into the tiny town of Sturgis. After stopping off one last time for gas, and grabbing a few snacks, they were back on the open road in no time.

Harli had to admit she was tired, but she could care less. It was completely worth sitting on her ass for hours on end. The exuberance Shovelhead, the liberty of the scenery, and being in the company of Daryl all felt like a dream to her. But it wasn't a dream. If Harli had her way, she would never go back to Waleska. She would buy her own little house just outside Sturgis and live out the rest of her life in the beautiful Northwest. That way, she could go to Sturgis every year of her life and she would barely have to make a trip. And Harli would gladly invite Daryl to live it out with her.

Just the thought of it made her heart vibrate with excitement.

Over the course of the hour, anybody and practically everybody that was on the highway were motorcycles. Harli and Daryl were surrounded, and with the combination of all the biker's engines, it was absolutely thunderous. They were a combined storm making steady progress to light up Sturgis with nothing but a fun party. Everybody waved at one another and there was not one person Harli saw that _didn't _have a smile on their faces. Harli smiled and waved at the other biker chicks that sat behind their husbands and boyfriends, their smiles flashing brightly back at her. Here and there, Harli would see even a few independent women riding their _own_ hogs, all by themselves. It made her smile.

After driving all day, dusk soon descended upon them. The only thing lighting Daryl and Harli's way was the small headlight hooked on the Shovelheads handlebars. The purple and orange horizon crouched over the outstretched silhouette of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. The air was contently warm in the lower region of the South Dakota terrain, its surroundings acting like a cooler desert. Harli had always loved Georgia, but the ambiance of this Northwestern state was absolutely phenomenal and she was slowly falling in love with it. She had never seen so many stars in the sky before. Their brightness winked at Harli when her green eyes looked up, and the fullness of the moon sparked against her face. It was so admirable.

Harli looked back at Daryl's frame in front of her, his short brown hair flicking to and fro. The wind rolled off his body and swept its blunt force against his chest and face. The Shovelheads reverberations traveled through his contracting muscles and managed to pound against them like a hammer. His thick, tan skin contorted around the trimness of his muscular physique, Harli wanting to desperately rub her hand over them. But being the lady she was, she kept to herself. But she knew all too well she couldn't keep to herself for much longer. She had to do something about her desires whether it required Daryl's help or not.

Daryl left the highway for the last time. As Harli looked over his broad shoulder, the banner lit up over the entrance of the town of Sturgis. Her lips parted in awe. She was finally here.

_Welcome Riders, One and All!_

Even though the motorcycle rally didn't start until the next day, the tiny population of the town already sky rocketed. Motorcycles and people were the only thing lining the streets and every single bar was overflowing through the doorway. Even with it being so late at night, people didn't care. They just wanted to party, spend all their reserved money, and have a good time.

Daryl maneuvered the bike in its slow speeds, his boots walking across the ground to keep it steady. The Sturgis police directed the heavy flow of traffic and waved their hands to keep everybody moving. Harli's tired eyes stared at all the people surrounding them and the individuals wore nothing but black leather and tight clothing. Her hands loosened around Daryl's waist and she leaned back against the seat rest, waiting patiently for Daryl to get them through all the traffic. As they passed the cops, Harli waved at them just as a friendly gesture when she noticed that Daryl didn't bother to acknowledge them. They were police officers, after all, his natural enemies.

Once they pushed through the thickness of bikes and bikers, Daryl pulled into the driveway of an older looking hotel. For the first time in hours, the Shovelhead was shut off and Harli's ears felt lonely without the subtle growling of its V-twin engine.

Harli pressed her hands down on Daryl's shoulders and stiffly lifted her body from the large Harley. She took in a deep breath of the crisp air and stretched her back, a light groan blowing out through her lips. A brief wave of vertigo rolled through her and she planted her feet firmly so she wouldn't fall over. She then watched Daryl step off the bike and his trim body arch back to stretch itself. He shook his tired arms and his blue eyes met Harli's, "Welcome to Sturgis."

"I can't believe we're actually here." Harli smiled and looked down the street to where all the people were congested.

"We didn't drive all the way up here for nothin'." Daryl craned his neck and Harli nodded,

"Yeah I know... but we should get some sleep." She reached down and grabbed up her backpack, hooking the strap on her shoulder, "Let's get a room and chill until tomorrow."

"Already got us some." Daryl said and Harli narrowed her eyes,

"How?"

"Called ahead of time and booked two rooms." Daryl turned around and unstrapped his own backpack from the back of the bike.

"Two rooms, huh?" Harli pouted, trying not to make it seem like she was sad about the fact. Even though she, in reality, _was_ a bit disappointed she couldn't share a room with Daryl again. She obviously enjoyed his company.

"That gonna be a problem? We can find a different place."

"No, no..." Harli shook her head and couldn't manage to meet his blue eyed gaze, so she looked at the hotel past him, "This isn't a bad place. I guess I'm just tired."

"Well, there's a bed waitin' for you." Daryl walked towards the office to check into his room. But he soon noticed Harli wasn't next to him, so he stopped and looked over his shoulder, "You comin'?"

"Yeah..." Harli nodded and jogged up next to him, the two arriving in the office to receive keys to their rooms.

Harli was a bit surprised at the room she entered, which was right next to Daryl's. It was nicer than the last room she stayed in, and to say the least, quite comforting and roomy. There was a table with two chairs, a large, flat screen television on a dark stained oak dresser, and a small convection oven complete with a sink and a microwave. Harli smiled and closed the door behind her, her hand dropping her backpack onto the bed.

She turned the air conditioning on low and immediately went towards the bathroom. With all the dead bugs sticking to her skin, along with all the dirt and sweat, she desperately needed a shower. The bathroom reminded her of her own back home, so she felt a bit more comfortable in it other than the one she and Daryl had the night before. Thus, she stripped off all her clothes and went to the stand-in shower. Even though it was warm in the room, and she was warm herself, she couldn't help but turn the water on hot. She shivered when the heat generated by the water instantly rose into the air and caressed her skin like a pair of hands. And they happened to be imaginary hands by none other than Daryl.

Harli stepped into the cascading warmth and sighed deeply once it burned against her chest. She dipped her head under the water and the showerhead filled her scalp with its wet matter. The water generated by the shower rolled down her brown locks and made their own waterfalls just by the help of her hair. It slid down her face and bounded off her thin jaw once she pulled her head out of the water. Her fingers scraped through her hair and she reached down for the crappy hotel soap so she could begin to scrub her body with.

Her fingernails grated across her skin as they went, dirt and grime being swallowed by the drain in the middle of the shower. Even though she had only been on the road for a little while, she almost forgot what a good warm shower felt like. She even felt dirty like she hadn't bathed in a week.

_Dirty._

At the thought of such a word, Harli's hand involuntarily rubbed down to her thighs. Her fingers scuffed across her tan skin and she felt themselves work their way between her inner thighs. And soon, her knees and feet twitched when her fingers brushed up the delicates of her lower body. Harli's brain was telling her not to pursue forward with what her body was telling her to do, but when Daryl crossed her mind once again, she just couldn't help herself. Her brain was slowly losing and desperately tried to pull back on her hands, but it lost the battle too soon.

He index and middle finger split apart and pushed up against the sensitive mound that was her womanhood. Her face twitched involuntarily from the pleasure she received and she soon found her back up against the cold tiled wall of the shower. Harli took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her eyes closing as she did her best to focus on the lower half of her body. Her fingers began to work miracles with the teasing help of the warm water rolling down her belly and legs. Her hand waved back and forth and the pit of her stomach was beginning to warm with sheer indulgence. She could feel it running through her body before the explosion of ecstasy got to her and she braced for the impact of the orgasm.

Harli's head cocked back and she gasped, letting out a squeaky moan as her knees buckled out from under her. Her hand latched onto the bar in her shower and she let herself down softly, her body aching with wonderful satisfaction. The flesh in between her legs throbbed lightly and her contracted muscles sent shivers throughout her entire self. Harli's wet hair clung to her body and her fingers clawed at the tiled walls all around her, her mouth gaping open in attempts to gather in a breath. But finally, her lungs sucked in a mass amount of air and her muscles released all at once. Her legs and arms trembled from the pleasures intensity and her entire body felt numb for at least a few more seconds until she came back to reality.

Harli panted lightly and slowly opened her tired eyes and stared at the steamy glass door to the shower. She rubbed her face with her hand and shakily got to her feet, feeling the water spitting back against her from the showerhead. With another large breath, she fully found her vision once again and the aftermath of her self-generated enjoyment hit her. Harli felt a bit ashamed at what she had just done, but she couldn't help but feel some sense of accomplishment. She had exorcised her demons as of now. But she knew she wouldn't be able to keep them at bay for too much longer. Her attraction to the man next door to her was growing far too much and far too fast for her comfort. But the darker side of her said otherwise. She could pleasure herself everyday if she had to, but it still wouldn't be enough for it. She need more.

**.:=:.**

Harli pulled up a pair of jean shorts and tossed on a black tank top over her chest. With her favorite pair of old deep brown cowboy boots already secured on her feet, she tucked her room key in her back pocket. Harli grabbed onto the door handle with a plate in her free hand and she exited her hotel room. She stopped outside Daryl's door and stared at it for a few minutes before lifting her knuckles and knocking a couple times. It was about ten in the morning already and she felt wonderful after sleeping in for about an hour past seven. She just hoped Daryl wasn't sleeping.

Her lips sucked in a deep breath when she heard Daryl's footsteps moving towards the door. She took a step back as he flung open the door, not out of anger, but just that he was so used to opening doors that way. He noticed the plate in her hand and his eyes narrowed as they looked back to her, "You been busy?"

"Yeah, I knew you weren't awake so I made you breakfast before we uh..." Harli looked over her shoulder and noticed the town was already packed, "Go out on the town."

"You didn't have to do that." Daryl grabbed the plate from her and studied the eggs, bacon, and toast all thrown together, "Where'd you get all this stuff anyways?"

"Made a quick trip this morning to the market right down the street." Harli nodded her head and smiled, "I didn't think you'd be up to eating out at a restaurant again."

"Yeah, ain't feelin' it today." Daryl rubbed his head, still dwelling on the fact that Harli had gone off by herself without him by her side. But by what he could see, she was unharmed. Even if something did happen, she wouldn't tell him even if he asked.

Daryl took a much needed breath. He needed to stop feeling so protective over her. It was driving him insane.

"Well thanks. Nice to know I got a little cook hangin' around."

"No problem at all. Just let me know when you're ready and we can get going." Harli said and turned to walk back to her room.

Daryl hesitated, and he wished he didn't. He was going to invite her into his room to enjoy her company, but she was already back in her room by the time he opened his mouth to say something. He scowled and cursed to himself while retreating back into his room. His blue eyes stared down at the warm plate in his hand and the smell of it was already making his mouth water.

After the delightful breakfast her ate in practically three bites, Daryl quickly got ready. After buttoning up his sleeveless shirt, he pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans and grabbed up whatever he would need for the day. With his door key in one pocket, and his wallet in the other, he turned off the television and opened the door to his room. The rush of warm air hurried into the room, but the air conditioning managed to extinguish it before it had a chance to overtake the temperature.

Daryl's eyes involuntarily found Harli in his sights and she was over by the Shovelhead messing around with the bikes motor. He tilted his head curiously and shut the door behind him, his legs carrying him over to the motorcycle. Harli heard his boot steps and looked up from what she was doing, her eyes green eyes glowing upon seeing him. She then jumped to her feet and wiped her hand on the back of her shorts to rid of dirt and grease.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, just wonderin' what the hell you were doin' to the bike." Daryl's eyes looked down to it and Harli looked at it as well,

"Just making sure it's holding up alright. That journey it took was pretty hard on it." Harli smiled and looked back to Daryl, "I don't want it breaking down on us at all while we're here. That wouldn't be much fun now, would it?"

"We got plenty of fun things to do here." Daryl shrugged and looked up and about, "Hell, I could give a shit less if we got stranded here. Wouldn't make me too homesick."

"What about Merle?" Harli asked and before she knew it, the two were beginning to walk towards the middle of town. Where all the action was,

"Merle can take of himself." Daryl said plainly and Harli brushed it off her shoulder, not wanting to ask any more questions.

Harli's heart pounded inside her ribs when the sights of the town took her breath away.

Motorcycles. Motorcycles everywhere.

Of all shapes and forms, motorcycles littered the entire main street, only two lanes open for incoming traffic from bikers alike. Harley's, Triumphs, Victory's, Shadow's, you name it. Any and all of the big bike brands were there. And they weren't all just heavy hogs; there were street bikes as well. But Harli wasn't so much interested in them as she was all the others. Their intricate paint jobs and extravagant attires made Harli so giddy she felt like a child again.

Daryl smiled to himself when he saw the look on Harli's face when they walked down the strip. Harli walked up to bikes and examined every detail from their paint jobs to the engines they harbored in their frames. Daryl loved all of their appearances, too, and he hoped someday he could get his motorcycle to look like the ones that surrounded every side of him. But he admired more of them afar rather than getting up close and personal like Harli did. He stood back and watched her more than the motorcycles, wondering what was going on in that smart brain of hers. He was just waiting for her to overload and faint or something.

But she didn't. She trooped along the rows of motorcycles, talking with various owners about their two wheeled beasts.

"Don't get too excited or the days gonna end before it even begins." Daryl warned amusingly as they walked and Harli looked to him,

"I can't help it... I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to motorcycles."

"An unhealthy obsession?"

"That's an understatement." Harli replied and turned her head back to look at the motorcycles that were her eye candy.

But the people were now the ones that caught her eye. She stared at their happy faces and felt their friendly auras as she passed each of them by. Most of them held beers in their hands, purchased by the many bars that were up and across the sidewalks. It was just as packed in the day than she saw the night before, and the numbers were still climbing. Lines upon lines of bikers rolled into towns, parked their motorcycles, and disappeared into the bars for a cold drink.

The women all around made Harli feel a bit nervous and overdressed in a sense. All the women, no matter their body type, wore skimpy clothing, and even no clothing at all. Their chests were bare, with nothing but all kinds of different colored and shapes of pasties slapped onto their nipples. Practically everything was hanging out and nobody seemed to care or notice. There were even a few walking around in just a set of bikini bottoms and their bodies painted in all kinds of different forms. Harli couldn't tell whether or not to be surprised or embarrassed by looking at all of them. Their husbands and boyfriends didn't seem to mind sharing their women's goodies all over the place for all eyes to see. And at the thought of it, Harli looked over at Daryl from the corners of her eyes to gauge his reaction on the people around him.

But to her complete surprise, he paid none of the bare-chested women any mind.

It made Harli sigh with a bit of relief at that. She now knew that he was the type of guy that didn't ogle over a woman's body when it was practically thrown right in front of him. Or maybe he just didn't find any of them attractive? She wasn't about to ask him to find out.

Harli stopped and Daryl continued walking when he didn't notice her do so. But when he did, he stopped and looked around for her small figure. It didn't take him long to find it and he narrowed his eyes to where she was. She was staring through a glass window of a local shop, Daryl raising an eyebrow at the particular shop. He walked up to her and she turned to face him, a smile plastered across her face.

"Wanna buy me a tattoo?"

"Tattoo? Right now?" Daryl asked and she nodded hastily,

"Yeah... I've always wanted to get one but I never knew what I wanted until now." Harli laughed and motioned her hand to all the things around them, "It's not like we don't have time to go do other stuff."

"You sure you can handle the pain of a tattoo?" Daryl crossed his arms and tilted his head in amusement. Harli rubbed her neck,

"I guess we're both bound to find out."

"Whatever then. I ain't gonna stop you." Daryl tossed his hand towards the tattoo parlor's door and he pulled it open for her, "Just don't cry like a little baby."

"Since when have you ever seen me cry?" Harli raised an eyebrow and smiled as she walked under Daryl's arm.

"Today will be the first."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

"Well hello there, may I help you two?" A man with slicked back, black hair asked with a smile as he sat behind a receptions desk.

"You takin' walk-ins?" Daryl asked and the man stood to his feet, Harli's eyes glazing over his tattoo-riddled skin,

"We sure are. You lookin' to get ink?" The man asked Daryl and Daryl shook his head and planted his hand on Harli's shoulder,

"My little friend here is."

"Oh well then... what're you lookin' at to get there, sweetheart?" The young tattoo artist asked and Harli smiled,

"I want to get one behind my ear. Some words." Harli said as her index finger slid behind her ear and rubbed her skin. The tattoo artist smiled,

"I always found that sexy on a woman." He nodded and waved for Harli to come back with him. He looked at Daryl, "You're welcome to come back with us and observe."

Daryl followed the two and the artist led them to a table way in the back. Harli stared at the many people sitting in his colleagues chairs, their faces completely unfazed by the tattooing process. Her designated tattoo artist motioned for her to lay down on one of the padded tables, and lay down Harli did. He gave Daryl a chair and grabbed his own, along with his rolling table full of tattooing supplies.

"Is this your first tattoo?" The man asked and Harli nodded as he grabbed a pen and rolled his chair over towards her.

"Yeah... kinda getting nervous now."

"Don't be. It's not as bad as everybody thinks..." The artist smiled and looked over at Daryl, "You got any tattoos?"

"A couple, here or there." Daryl said plainly and the tattoo artist smiled,

"Then just tell your girlfriend here that there's no trouble in it."

"It hurts like a som'bitch." Daryl lied, a halfcocked smiled sprouting across his cheeks. Harli pouted and the tattoo artist chuckled under his breath. The tatted man's eyes found Harli's again,

"What do you want those words to say behind your ear?"

"_Tell me a secret_."


End file.
